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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30099411">Vex (MCU × Man of Steel)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonspectre/pseuds/Dragonspectre'>Dragonspectre</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Man of Steel (2013), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, Self-Insert</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 22:47:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>29,317</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30099411</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dragonspectre/pseuds/Dragonspectre</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>An average guy somehow finds himself in the DC Universe. By some sort of miracle, he didn't go mad and ended up planning an escape. He nearly succeeded. Perhaps he succeeded a little too much. The DC universe lost a potential hero but that doesn't mean he can't be one in another place. The only problem is that the line between friend and foe is truly blurred here.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Cerion-Vex knew death and he didn't fancy his chances to go through that horrible and cold feeling once again. That statement was not entirely true as Cerion didn't exactly know death. Before he was Cerion he had another name and he was just an employee of a bank working in the HR department. Unfortunately, fate decided to throw a curveball in the form of a car accident that left him in the hospital for a week. At the end of that week, he died from internal bleeding which the doctors were too late to find. He knew he was going to die and he dearly wished some miracle would save him. That didn't stop his vision going dark and a terrible cold spreading from his legs to his head. The last memory he had was the red puffy eyes of his girlfriend who he should have treated a bit better.</p><p>Contrary to his leap into the unknown abyss that was death he woke up into the light and a whole new world was waiting for him. It took him only a few months to piece together exactly what happened and where he was. Somehow, he ended up in the fictional DC universe and that too in Krypton before the planet went boom. Strangely enough, he was born into the house of Vex which was supposed to die out with Nyssa-Vex. Instead, he learned that he was a descendant of Nyssa's sister Celia Vex who happened to be his grandmother. He couldn't care less about that as he was bombarded with the enormity of the situation he was in right now.</p><p>His wish has been granted and now he lived as Cerion-Vex albeit it was in a world that only existed in fiction. The situation became all the more problematic because he was living in a planet that was a ticking time bomb and not to mention there were very dangerous beings lurking out in the galaxy. He also feared the circumstances behind his rebirth as it could only happen with quirky omnipotent beings. He feared what that means as every human soul was just a piece of entertainment for some random all-powerful beings or did this happen by some cosmic mojo, he didn't know.</p><p>What he knows for sure is that he didn't want to die again. Staying in Krypton was a death sentence and he had no idea the exact year or date the whole thing was going to go boom. The only thing he knew for sure was that it was going to explode into a thousand pieces when Kal-El was born. Therefore his only option was to somehow escape the planet of doom at the exact moment of Kal-El's escape or perhaps even before that.</p><p>With this simple plan in mind, Cerion began his new life in Krypton. Ten years into his life he realized that escaping Krypton before Kal-El's birth was just a dream and an impossible one at that. Krypton's deep-space defence security systems ensured no unauthorized hyperspace launches can be possible.</p><p>The security was too tight and there were gravity wells placed around the planet to ensure nothing goes in or out without the express permission of Kryptonian military. It was at this point he realized that his time of escape has to align with Zod's military coup. He had no intention of standing in the guy's way as he didn't fancy to die by the general's hands.</p><p>He also doubted he could somehow influence the Kryptonian council to start preparing for an immediate evacuation. If Jor-El and Dru-Zod couldn't do it then he was certainly not the guy to convince the council and that is if he would even be heard by the Council.</p><p>The House of Vex 'was' very influential but because of its association with the previous administration, they were very much in the blacklist. It took his father and mother every scrap of goodwill to even be allowed as low ranking members in the Lawmaker's guild.</p><p>It took a lot of bribes and his father's marriage to a distant relative of one of the Council member to earn that goodwill. His own birth which the oracle predicted and his subsequent 'fate' to be a good member of the Science Guild also helped somewhat. This ensured the future of the Vex family lay in science and research rather than in politics.</p><p>He didn't complain about his supposed 'fate' one bit as that was exactly what he wanted. Being in the Military guild would put him under Zod but in the Science guild, he would be exposed to Jor-El. At least he hoped he would be exposed to the man before everything went nuts.</p><p>So, knowing that his life was at stake Cerion gave his entire being into education. His distant relation with Jor-El also helped to speed up his entry into the Science guild. At the age of fifteen, he managed to enter the guild and for one whole year, he worked as an apprentice to Jor-El.</p><p>Working under Jor-El made him realize just how much of a genius the man was. Jor-El was working on a ton of projects all at once. Alternate energy, increased range of Phantom drives, monitoring the seismic activities of Krypton and research into artificial intelligence were some of the few areas that Jor-El was researching. The guy was Krypton's foremost scientific expert in about every major field. It was by his recommendation that Cerion was selected for the research team that focused on alternate energy more specifically energy extraction from Anti-matter.</p><p>It was a project under the direct oversight of the Kryptonian Council as well as Jor-El. For the moment the facility has yet to extract the energy sufficiently as research was still ongoing but the results were very promising. If the extraction process can be efficient then Krypton will be able to stop the exploitation of the planet's core.</p><p>Cerion's involvement in this project allowed him to access the lab in the moon of Krypton named Koron. The moon base was damaged very heavily in the last civil war and now it was depopulated. Only a research facility was left in the base and that too mostly automated. This access to the moon base allowed Cerion to access a ship.</p><p>Unfortunately, the ship was not equipped with a Phantom Drive and there were other Kryptonian scientists nearby with a full platoon of military guards. But fate gave him an opportunity through Laura-El. The wife of Jor-El was working in the same energy project with him and that was an opportunity he used to his advantage. He kept a very keen eye on Laura and being very close to Jor he was on good terms with his wife. When Laura suddenly decided to quit the project altogether he knew that the jig was up.</p><p>That's how he found himself before the house of El family. Well, not all El's lived here Jor and Laura certainly called this tower their home. As Cerion stepped out of his hover-car in the landing platform of the tower the doors opened to reveal Jor. Usually, Jor would never greet guests as it was Laura the more social of the two and that alone confirmed his suspicions.</p><p>"Cerion! What a pleasant surprise." Jor greeted with a forced smile.</p><p>"It's nice to see you as well Jor and don't try very hard to smile. It doesn't suit you."</p><p>His joke just floored the scientist and Jor laughed awkwardly.</p><p>"I was curious about why Laura would suddenly quit the project. We were making stellar progress and then she suddenly stopped one day." said Cerion and then he conspiratorially leaned closer. "Has the core destabilised already? Is there no hope left?"</p><p>Having worked closely with Jor-El has had its perks. Cerion was in the know of what was going on with Krypton so he had some leeway with the lab and its facilities. He was also keeping an eye on the core and it has yet to completely destabilize but it was only a matter of time. Krypton has never seen such phenomena and an exact timeframe was hard to predict.</p><p>"Not yet but as you know anything can happen. The council has refused to even stop the mining despite my best efforts. All I could get out of the last meeting was for the matter to be considered as an issue. The Council will deliberate on my findings and make a decision sometime later."</p><p>"You and me both know that is not useful. We are all dead anyway. Have you suggested an evacuation procedure?"</p><p>"I did but they immediately shot that down. The Council is extremely concerned that it will only cause mass hysteria and has asked me to never speak of this again."</p><p>"Those fools will sentence this planet to ruin while they debate endlessly. We need to at least ensure something survives of Krypton. Perhaps we can send some children out into one of the colonies or a distant planet without the council's knowledge."</p><p>Cerion's suggestion took Jor by surprise.</p><p>"You are suggesting that we betray the trust of the council. We will be committing treason and heresy." Jor warned but Cerion could see Jor was not that bothered by his supposed treason.</p><p>"The council exists for the betterment of all of Krypton but we both know that Krypton is going to die. Is it not our duty to salvage something from Krypton? I know we can't save everyone without the Council's cooperation but we can at least ensure some children live through the disaster. Perhaps they will be able to give our race a fresh beginning."</p><p>Jor was silent for some time carefully watching Cerion and then seems to let out a sigh.</p><p>"Come inside. We have a lot of things to discuss." Jor invited him inside and history changed for better or worse none of them knew.</p><hr/><p>After that conversation, Cerion was filled in about Laura's pregnancy and he agreed to help them transport their son off-world. The next few months were dedicated to working out a new Phantom Drive that could open the hyperspace channel even under the influence of gravity of Krypton. The modified Drive also requires a longer range to escape any pursuers and for quick access to the destination. With Cerion having access to Jor's plans he managed to build a modified Phantom Drive on his own which he was planning to install on the ship docked in the moon base. For months they planned and plotted while Laura carried the baby. Cerion had to work day and night for the day to make his escape along with Kal-El.</p><p>Every day that he worked on the moon base was a risk. Cerion knew that if there was a whiff of treason from his side he was a dead man. The military was getting restless especially with General Zod creating a ruckus against the council. All the higher echelons of various guilds knew just what was going on with Krypton. The signs have started to become very visible for the council to dismiss them. Most of the water bodies on the planet were getting heated up rapidly. Most volcanoes were starting to go active one by one across the planet. The seawater was getting desalinated rapidly and all aquatic creatures were dying due to rapid climate change Thunderstorms were now abundant on the planet and it was causing enormous destruction to remote settlements. Only the energy shields around major cities like Kandor have proved effective against thunderstorms. But such measures were only going to be effective for a time being. It was only a matter of time before even the most advanced cities of Krypton was going to suffer under the wrath of the planet.</p><p>Cerion was working on some of the firewalls when he received a message from Jor. "<em>The flower has been delivered safely. It is class M. Laura wants a child and we are planning to name the child Kal-El."</em></p><p>The message translated to the delivery was a success and the child was a male. They have also named the child as Kal-El. So he quickly replied knowing that time was at stake and they had many preparations to see through.</p><p>
  <em>"Congratulations. The procedure is ready to be enacted."</em>
</p><p>Minutes after Cerion's message was read Jor called back all personal from the moon base except for a few guards and Cerion himself. Cerion had the task of taking control of the moon base and then shutting down the gravity wells around Krypton. He didn't have to deactivate every single gravity well but just those that were close to the moon. Jor was going to initiate the launch and trace a path for the launch vehicle straight for the moon. Cerion will have to take care of the guards after Jor give the signal so he started preparing.</p><p>Cerion watched as the ship returned back after transporting all of his colleagues. There were now almost twenty guards left in the base and he knew just how to take care of them. But the coup had yet to start and Jor had yet to give him the signal. So Cerion used this time to make his own preparations. He took the command key that would override the security systems of the base and inserted into the prime slot. For a brief moment, the security alarms blared in the base before everything returned to normal.</p><p>"This is Cerion-Vex speaking. Please don't panic. This malfunction is the product of a new command key designed for this experimental procedure. For the duration of this experiment, no one is allowed to leave the base under any circumstances. Please maintain your positions and cooperate. Thank you."</p><p>With that part of the plan over he directed the droids to replace the Phantom Drive of the ship with the modified Drive. While this was happening he began to set some explosives and poison gases around the base. The Antimatter chamber was going to be sealed with himself staying inside and when the time was right he would be taking care of the armed guards in the facility. For hours he waited all the while hacking into the generators powering the gravity wells close to the moon. Then all of a sudden Jor's voice came through the comms.</p><p>
  <em>"Cerion! Are you there? Can you hear me?"</em>
</p><p>"I can hear you Jor. What's happened? Why are you delaying the launch?" Cerion asked as the time that they had planned was passing away.</p><p>
  <em>"I was held up by Zod. The General has launched his coup. I am on my way to the tower but a full-blown civil war is being fought down here. Are you ready up there?"</em>
</p><p>"I am ready. On your signal, I can deactivate the gravity wells."</p><p>
  <em>"What about other orbital forces?"</em>
</p><p>"I doubt they can intercept the launch, especially with the civil war. I am already getting reports of the fleet descending into the planet. Even if they decide to interfere I have some other contingencies in place."</p><p>
  <em>"We owe you, Cerion. Thank you for everything."</em>
</p><p>"Thank me after the plan succeeds. Launch Kal to space Jor and leave the rest to me. May the light of Rao be with you."</p><p>With that Cerion cut the connection and initiated the program to clean up the lab.</p><p>"Initiate STRIKE protocol."</p><p>
  <strong>"Command key accepted. Initiating STRIKE protocol."</strong>
</p><p>The holographic image of the lab flashed into existence and several yellow spots in the image began to pulse signalling the start of poisonous gas infusing into the breathing air. While this took place Cerion began to gear up with a re-breather and battle suit. He loaded his gun and adjusted the settings to kill mode. He could stun any stranger but what was the point? All of them were going to die anyway and he didn't need some fool to wake up from a stun gun and foil all his plans.</p><p>"Initiate Project WISDOM and standby for Project DISMANTLE."</p><p>
  <strong>"Initiating."</strong>
</p><p>Project WISDOM was the protocol to hack into the archives of Krypton and store specific data regarding technology and military secrets to a separate databank in the ship. Project DISMANTLE on the other hand was designed to secure Kal-El's escape. With the lab under his command key, he set out of the lab's secure vaults straight for his ship.</p><p>He carefully navigated the tunnels of the lab making sure that there was no life signature to any of the guards stationed on the facility. As he came across the final tunnel that led to the dockyard he noticed his armband projecting two life signatures.</p><p>'They must have used a rebreather and escaped the effects of the poison gas.'</p><p>He took out a small metallic ball and quickly threw it into the tunnel straight for the two surviving guards. The ball flashed red and exploded which was his cue. He threw himself into the tunnel and began firing his gun indiscriminately. Cerion shouldn't have bothered because the guards were already dead as their rebreather was damaged in the explosion itself. With the path clear he opened the doors of the tunnel and made his way to the ship. Thanks to the emergency lockdown he initiated the ship's crew were also stuck in the lab which made commandeering the ship all the easier.</p><p>Taking a speeder from the dock he sped towards the ship as fast as possible. When he finally arrived near the ship he saw that all the drones were loading the ship with supplies for the long trip. After making sure all supplies were loaded into the ship he occupied the command chair waiting for Jor's signal.</p><p>"Weapon's status?"</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"All weapons online."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The drone that he had dubbed as Optima reported diligently.</p><p>"Shield's status?"</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Shield at 100%."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Status of the Phantom drive?"</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Fully operational."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>'Looks like all there is left to do is to wait for Jor's signal.' He thought.</p><p>All of a sudden a pop up barged into the main screen with Jor's face on it.</p><p>"<em>We are ready for the launch Cerion."</em></p><p>"Good. We are ready over here Jor. Send in Kal and leave the rest to me. Do remember that we have only a half-hour window. After that my position will be crawling with Kryptonian fleet." said Cerion as he initiated DISMANTLE protocol.</p><p>Jor just nodded before the screen abruptly cut off.</p><p>Cerion increased the range of the ship's sensors and he immediately noticed the launch of a ship from Krypton.</p><p>
  <strong><em>"The gravity wells have been disabled, Lord Vex. Project WISDOM has also run its course." reported </em>Optima</strong>
</p><p>"Good. Looks like it is time for our escape as well." said Cerion as he received the command key containing Project WISDOM. He secured it inside his tactical belt before taking the ship out of the base and began to steadily move outside of the moon's gravitational pull.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Lord Vex, several vessels are in pursuit of Kal-El." Optima reported.</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Well, we can't have that now can we." Cerion muttered as he needed Kal-El to be on earth else the timeline would go to shit. Besides his own escape depended on the absence of any enemy ships.</p><p>Cerion gave full power to the ship's engines and took it straight to intercept the ships on Kal-El's tail. Within a few minutes, his ship's sensors picked up signatures of four ships.</p><p>"Plot their course and engage battle mode."</p><p>Immediately Optima came through and began to project the course of the ships. He let the first one flew past him as it was the ship of Kal-El and then greeted the other three with a rain of fire. At the angle they were fighting they had to depend completely on virtual display because they were under the cover of Koron, one of the moons of Krypton.</p><p>Cerion winced as his ship shook under enemy fire.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Shields at 90%."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Arm Dismantler Cannon." He ordered as he pulled his ship through evasive manoeuvres. When the screen showed the cannon achieved 70% power he fired the weapon in the general direction of the enemy ships. A bright silver light pierced through the vacuum of space and punched through two enemy ships in a blink. The bright explosions in the space before him could be observed by his naked eye.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Kal-El has made his escape from the Rao system, Lord Vex."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Good. Now, let's make our move and join little Kal." He said as he turned the ship around and blasted straight back.</p><p>"Engage the Phantom Drive."</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"The gravity wells are being reactivated lord Vex. Their systems are rebooting itself. It seems there was a failsafe in the system." Optima warned</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"When will the Phantom Drive activate?" Cerion asked in panic.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Not before the gravity wells are re-engaged."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"This Phantom Drive is a modified version. It can withstand the strain of gravity wells." He consoled himself even though he knew that he never tested the new Drive in extreme gravity. 'Looks like I will just have to wing it.'</p><p>His ship violently shook as the gravity wells suddenly came online. A few minutes later the Phantom Drive came online as well.</p><p>"Engage the Phantom Drive!" he shouted in alarm as the gravitational intensity was increasing. He could hear the metal frames of his ship warp under the pressure. There was a flash of white light and a violent tug. He could hear the warping of metal under the immense strain and in a jiffy he was airborne. All of a sudden he felt as if he couldn't breathe and his body felt like it was being squeezed through a narrow tube and then he knew no more.</p><p>
  <strong>1st January 2000</strong>
</p><p>Phil had worked closely with Nicholas Fury throughout his career in SHIELD. In those long years, he had never seen Nick Fury who was now the Director of SHIELD being this anxious. His eyes traced the Director who was anxiously pacing back and forth in his office. Phil couldn't blame the man. Even he was skittish but his director was doing it for both of them. Who wouldn't be skittish especially when the Director of NASA calls in and report a space-time anomaly was detected close to Earth. Keep in mind that this call came right after celebrating the New Year and the arrival of a new millennium.</p><p>By the time SHIELD was mobilized and all its firepower was focused on the sky NASA reported the phenomenon was over and an alien object was floating aimlessly in space spinning close to Earth. The Director immediately called in some favours and locked out NASA from the entire process and SHIELD took over. After all, SHIELD did have some expertise in handling alien invasion which itself was not much but they were more qualified than any other agency. The Director had the option to blow the object up or he could capture the object and bring it back to earth. The Director chose to bring it to Earth especially after their analysts pieced together that the object in question was an alien. That alone was enough for Director Fury to send a Quinjet and bring the dead alien back to the base.</p><p>Just letting the corpse float around in space would be ripe for disaster. The body would inevitably be drawn into Earth's atmosphere and who knows what would happen after that. There is also the distant possibility that some other space agencies of the world may also take notice and if they do then the knowledge that there were aliens around would only spark mass hysteria. The retrieval operation was named Blue Lotus and SHIELD's best agents were in that Quinjet.</p><p>
  <em>"Director Fury. Do you copy?"</em>
</p><p>With that, the crew of operation Blue Lotus broke radio silence.</p><p>Phil stood up from his seat and looked at the Director calmly and gave a nod of support. He watched as his colleague slash boss press the button on the communication device.</p><p>"Agent Hill, report."</p><p>
  <em>"We have collected the package, sir. But you will not believe this. The alien is still alive. Both heartbeat and pulse are steady."</em>
</p><p>Phil exchanged a look of surprise with the Director. What kind of an alien entity has the capacity to survive vacuum?</p><p>
  <em>"What should we do sir?"</em>
</p><p>Phil noticed that the Director was silent for a few minutes before he took a deep breath.</p><p>"Bring it in Agent Hill. Your mission remains the same."</p><p>
  <em>"Yes sir."</em>
</p><p>With that, the comms cut off and once again radio silence.</p><p>The Director sagged into his chair with a sigh.</p><p>"Interesting days are ahead of us Coulson. The new millennia is off to a good start." said Fury with a shake of his head.</p><p>"At least we didn't have an alien invasion, sir. We might even benefit from a diplomatic exchange if the alien is friendly." He tried to lighten the mood.</p><p>"I don't have to tell you that in this line of business we can't afford such luxury." said Fury</p><p>"Prepare for the worst and you won't be surprised." He said grimly</p><p>"Indeed. I want you on this right away Coulson. You have direct oversight."</p><p>"Yes sir."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. First impressions</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It was an hour since Cerion woke up and he should have freaked out but he managed to stay calm and focused. There was no point in freaking out at this moment. He was conscious the moment he entered the planet's atmosphere. When he woke up he found that he was restrained and in a body bag. From that simple fact itself he deduced that his ship might have broken apart and somehow he found himself in another planet. Thankfully the planet was one with a Yellow Star for a Sun because he could feel an unholy strength coursing through his body. Fortunately, he was still wearing the rebreather and it was shielding him from any sensory overload. He just continued to stay silent throughout the journey.</p><p>It was on the ground that the play changed pace. The moment his rescuers unravelled the bag they noticed that he was alive. Then there was freak-out by the humans and he was glad he was in the custody of humans rather than any other alien species. There was nothing they could do that would harm him so that was a relief unless they had Kryptonite which was not cool. Anyway, the humans continued their freak-out and the military base that they had taken him blared with alarms. He calmly broke the restraints and stood on his own legs. He was immediately converged upon from all sides by gun-wielding soldiers, mounted machine guns, artillery and tanks.</p><p>It was then that he truly took a good look around the military base. The weapons and vehicles used by the soldiers were more advanced than what was the norm of 1970s or the 80s for that matter. Another curious fact was that the soldiers were not wearing their standard uniform but rather uniforms in black. They looked like special-ops soldiers and then there were several people dressed in tight bodysuits. The common factor in all these people was that they had a silver eagle logo on their uniforms. The only plausible explanation that he could come up with was that either the Phantom Drive caused a time dilation field around himself or Earth was truly advanced enough. But to truly know what happened without giving himself away to his rescuers he had to take a risky step. He once again looked around the base and noticed that it was in the middle of a desert. Nodding to himself he deactivated the rebreather. The polymorphous glass shielding of his suit pulled back and he was exposed to the air of Earth.</p><p>He instinctively closed his eyes and breathed in the rich nourishing air of Earth. He could hear the soldiers scream out warnings and threats but he didn't give a fuck to what they were saying. Having lived in a ticking time bomb of a planet that was Krypton he could truly appreciate the beauty of Earth. Krypton was just dying and its air was polluted beyond anyone's imagination. A smile automatically blossomed on his face as he felt just how thin the air was and just how weak the gravity felt on Earth. In Krypton it felt like the planet was trying its hardest to ensure everything living in it felt its displeasure. Earth felt like a hot girl that was trying to woo you into staying with her for the rest of her life.</p><p>Cerion's smile abruptly disappeared when he was hit by his enhanced senses. It felt like the world was bearing down upon him and every sound produced in the entire planet was being shot into his brain like bullets. He could feel his hands shake and he almost slipped out of control but his training kicked in.</p><p>From the moment he had planned the escape out of Krypton he was training to master his senses. It was one thing to train for something that was only a hypothetical scenario but it was quite another thing to truly apply what he learned when the situation called for it. It took some time for him to truly suppress a lot of his senses and just focus on his own body. He managed to wrestle his senses and suppress them back. The real problem was his hearing because the sounds were very much distracting and painful. Comparatively, his vision was more manageable.</p><p>He took a deep breath and focused. He could feel that a force filed was covering the entirety of his body. He would have truly liked to use what he assumed to be the tactile telekinesis field to fly away but he suppressed that urge. Instead, he used the momentary respite and control he had over his super senses to use his enhanced vision. He could see through concrete and steel and his reach extended all around the base all of a sudden. What he saw took his breath away and only added more questions.</p><p>He saw the date on a digital clock which showed that it was 1st January 2000. The problem, however, was that he also saw several people that should frankly not exist in the DC Universe. There was a guy in a black trench coat dressed up as a pirate with an eye patch and all. The guy looked like a carbon copy of Samuel L Jackson and the guy was observing everything from a bunker below the base through a video feed.</p><p>Then there was Clark Gregg dressed in a black suit. The guy was closing in on his position and as if that was not weird enough he could see that one of the astronauts that were on his rescue team was Cobie Smulders. That was a WTF moment that truly floored him and he didn't know how to proceed. Frankly, he was ready to bolt straight into the sky and look for Kal-El.</p><p>Just as the thought of making a quick escape passed through his head Clark Gregg stepped forward and addressed him.</p><p>"Hello, welcome to Earth. Can you understand me? Please nod once if you can understand what I am saying."</p><p>Cerion nodded slowly as if he was unsure how to exactly respond.</p><p>"Good, my name is Agent Phil Coulson. Can we know your name?" the guy in the suit asked which made Cerion freeze.</p><p>
  <em>Agent Phil Coulson? Where the fuck am I? Am I in some kind of weird DC-Marvel mixed universe? WTF!</em>
</p><p>He decided to file away that detail for later and concentrated on the here and now.</p><p>"My name is Cerion Vex. I apologize if I caused you any discomfort and alarming." said Cerion with a small dip with his head. There was no loss in being a little bit courteous. He had practised the British accent for blending in on Earth and now it was just bleeding into his speech.</p><p>"We fished you out from an orbit close to our planet. We had thought you to be dead. Can you explain how you found yourself close to our planet and how you survived space?" asked Coulson and he discreetly signalled the soldiers to lower their weapons.</p><p>Cerion knew that every piece of information would be used against him at some point. So he decided to be as vague and believable as possible.</p><p>"I once again apologize to have startled you and your people. My ship's Phantom Drive malfunctioned and a space-time anomaly deposited me close to your planet. As for how I survived it is quite obvious. The suit protected me."</p><p>"I see. You look like human and you speak our language well. What exactly are you? How can you speak our language so well?" asked Coulson</p><p>Now that was a tricky question. He could go with the route of Krypton had the same language which would be a lie and he would be caught red-handed. Earth itself had thousands of languages so it stands to reason that other planets have different languages. So he decided to go with a bit of half-truth.</p><p>"Our earliest ancestors have met before Agent Coulson. It must have been thousands of years before when your people were less polished and developed. The language that you use is remarkably similar to what we use although I don't know whether your written script is similar to that of Krypton."</p><p>"Krypton? That's the name of your planet?"</p><p>"Yes. I am a Kryptonian from the system of Rao. Although it doesn't matter now."</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"Krypton's core has been destabilizing recently. We have been trying to find a solution or even evacuate our people to the moon of our planet. We have failed and now by some fluke accident, I am halfway across the universe. I doubt there is anything left of Krypton except scattered rocks."</p><p>That brought the mood down around them. Cerion could see that Coulson was thinking on how to proceed from there and he waited patiently for the agent. Using his super-senses he heard the radio crackle to life in Coulson's ear and it was Nick Fury's voice.</p><p>
  <em>"Ask him about the ship he arrived here? Ask him about whether there are other survivors?"</em>
</p><p>"Are there any other survivors?" asked Coulson with a solemn face that would have fooled anyone as a sympathetic guy.</p><p>"I hope so but very unlikely. Our evacuation protocols were not yet enacted because Krypton's ruling council had yet to give the go-ahead."</p><p>"I see. You have my deepest condolences. What about your ship? If you were close to Earth's orbit then surely your ship must be also close. We can help you recover the ship if it endured the travel." Coulson offered but Cerion could see where this was going.</p><p>They wanted the ship for any technologies or data it would hold. Again this presented a dilemma. He could just allow them to scourge space for any remains of the ship and hope that they never find anything. Doing that will make him indebted to SHIELD and they will be dealing with him from a position of strength especially if they find something.</p><p>He blinked as an idea came to his mind. It was going to expose him somewhat but it will nicely counterweight his position on Earth especially with Fury watching this exchange.</p><p>"You don't have to worry Agent Coulson. I will search for any remains of my ship myself. There is no need to waste your resources." said Cerion before he took a few steps back from Coulson who looked on in confusion.</p><p>He took a deep breath and bend his legs a little bit and then with a boom he was away flying into the air. He could feel the gravity of earth trying to drag him down but having lived in Krypton, Earth's gravity felt like a gentle tug. He could feel a force field covering his entire body and suddenly he punched through the air with no more barriers to hold him down. A sonic boom was left in his wake as his body cut through the air completely overtaking the speed of sound. He was among the clouds and it was just pure joy coursing through his mind.</p><p>"Whhhhoooooo."</p><p>He let out a whoop of joy as one of his greatest wishes came true. He has attained the ability for unaided flight. Wingsuit and Base jumping can fuck off as the sky was now his oyster.</p><p>
  <strong>2nd January 2000</strong>
</p><p>The sun was setting slowly in the distance and Coulson began to slowly make his way to the special quarters that SHIELD assigned for their extraterrestrial guest. It has not been easy for most of SHIELD agents to stay in the base knowing that they housed a being who possessed powers far beyond their imagination. The only one that was experienced in dealing with super-powered beings was Nick Fury. But the Director had chosen to take a back seat and charged him to deal with their new guest.</p><p>Cerion Vex represented a great opportunity or a great calamity for Earth. It was Coulson's duty to properly vet him. Already, the threat level of Cerion had gone up after he demonstrated he can fly straight out of Earth's orbit well beyond Mach 9 speed with no external aid. From that single incident, it was easy to predict other possible powers of their guest. Super strength well beyond even the dreams of Captain America was a sure thing.</p><p>All SHIELD analysts were absolutely sure that there was nothing physical that could ever hurt Cerion Vex. If the guy could survive flying at speeds that even the most advanced rockets in NASA's arsenal was incapable of then the guy's strength was off the charts. Other projected abilities include enhanced senses, extreme resistance to basic elements and super speed. Frankly, even the projected abilities are terrifying to behold and he wondered just what other powers Cerion possessed. It was imperative to assess what his intentions are as he knew that it was a bad idea to just ask the guy to get out of the planet.</p><p>Turning a corner he found himself outside the door to the quarters assigned for Cerion. He knocked on the door three times and stepped back a little bit.</p><p>"Mr Vex. Can I come in?"</p><p>"Please do come in Agent Coulson."</p><p>Coulson opened the door and let himself inside.</p><p>"I see you have started working on the drone promptly." said Coulson as he moved closer to Cerion who quickly finished what he was doing to properly greet Coulson.</p><p>"The quicker I restore the drones the quicker I can restore my ship or what's left of it."</p><p>Coulson nodded in understanding. The Director was not happy to learn that the wreckage of the alien ship was now safely tucked away inside a giant hole on the moon. The only thing that Cerion brought back from the wreckage to Earth were several drones that he claimed would help speed up the restoration of the ship. Unfortunately, the drones are in a bad shape so they were in need of some patchwork.</p><p>"Anything that you need to speed up the process?"</p><p>"Oh no. What you have provided so far is more than enough to restore the drones. The real challenge will be the ship itself." said Cerion as he took a seat opposite to Coulson.</p><p>"I gathered that which is why this conversation is important. Director Fury has agreed to vouch for your asylum on Earth but know that this is going to be a tough position to sell to our government. The last time a group of aliens visited us they tried to bomb us back to the stone age with their fleet. Many among our government will be against helping you rebuild your ship."</p><p>"You need something in return for your aid and it will keep you in the clear from your government's pressure."</p><p>"Exactly." Coulson nodded but he kept the truth in his mind. The 'government' was not going to hear a single thing from SHIELD. The only one that will be informed will be the President of the United States and the World Security Council.</p><p>"Let's negotiate."</p><p>That statement was followed by almost a three-hour long discussion. In the end, Coulson retreated back from Cerion's quarters with a satisfied smile. He was careful to school his expression to impassive when he handed over a detailed report to Director Fury regarding the finer points of the deal that he made with Cerion Vex.</p><p>"So he agrees to share his technology and aid us in developing our own in military, space, energy, manufacturing, cyber and medical fields in return for asylum and material help in restoring his space ship. He also promises to work with SHIELD in defence of Earth from any extraterrestrial threat so long as he is granted citizenship on Earth. Those are some good terms." Fury commented as he read through the report.</p><p>"I have catalogued all the technologies that Cerion has promised to provide in a separate document according to categories." said Coulson and Fury acknowledged him with a nod.</p><p>"What about the DNA sample as well as his consent for some tests?" asked Fury</p><p>"Denied the both of them. He is prohibited from giving DNA of himself or that of any Kryptonian with other races by his own government. Apparently, that is a fundamental law in their planet. Kryptonians are also forbidden to procreate with other races in the Universe."</p><p>"If he is the last Kryptonian then how exactly does he think he can rebuild their race?" asked Fury</p><p>"I asked that sir. Apparently, Krypton has stopped having natural births in thousands of years. I have included that in a detailed report about Kryptonian history and how modern Krypton was shaped as a result."</p><p>"Hmm. The Council will be disappointed at not getting a DNA sample at the very least. But we have our ways to collect that don't we Coulson?"</p><p>"Already on it sir. We will be sweeping his room for every scrap of samples."</p><p>"Good. Have you gleaned any of his future plans?" asked Fury</p><p>"At the moment he is concentrating on rebuilding the ship. After that, he wants to search the wreckage of his planet and search for any survivors."</p><p>"Hmm. I will take this to the Council. But I don't have to tell you to keep an eye on our guest." said Fury with his one-eyed stare.</p><p>"You don't have to worry about that sir. I've got it covered." said Coulson before getting ready to leave.</p><p>"Coulson."</p><p>Halfway to the door he paused and turned around.</p><p>"Yes sir?"</p><p>"Have you thought of where he would stay for the duration of his stay?"</p><p>"No sir."</p><p>"You better start thinking."</p><p>"Will do sir."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Meetings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>15th March 2000</strong>
</p><p>"How is it looking out there Optima?" Cerion asked as he floated close to the wreckage of his ship on the surface of the moon.</p><p>
  <em>"Many of the ship's thrusters, life support systems, landing gears, anti-gravity thrusters and hall-thrusters are all damaged. There are structural defects that will take almost a year to patch up. That timeframe may even be pushed back since we can't access a docking bay."</em>
</p><p>Cerion let out a disappointed sigh at Optima's analysis. Just as he feared it was going to take forever to rebuild the ship without a resourceful dockyard. It was already going to take a year to restore all drones to working conditions. Then there is the power source to consider. The Phantom Drive had completely demolished the power source and engine. He will have to build the entire thing from scratch which was a huge problem.</p><p>To power up the ship, he will have to reinstall the power source which was better said than done. Kryptonian ships worked on nuclear fuel and he doubted SHIELD was going to just hand over nuclear fuel into his hands. Besides he didn't really want to depend on SHIELD too much. If they realise that he was in desperate need of nuclear fuel they will squeeze him out for everything he was worth. Of course, he could go full-on big bad alien way to get things done but that would only create unnecessary enemies. Stealing Uranium or Plutonium was the next option but that was a stupid idea. Every single intelligence agency in the world would be keeping an eye on nuclear fuel. A theft like that will only attract too much attention and he won't ever be able to steal again. The third option was to mine the Uranium from asteroids which was a waste of time. Even if he somehow managed to mine the bloody thing he would still need to enrich and process the fuel which he can't do in the moon.</p><p>So that left the fourth and final option which was to completely remove the power source and create a new one. Fortunately, he knew just where to get such a power source.</p><p>"Do work on restoring the drones Optima. I have some unfinished business on Earth."</p><p>Having said that he flew away from the moon straight to Earth. It took him two months to properly set up a power generating station on the moon using solar panels from old satellites and other space probes floating around in space. That was a temporary solution because sooner he will require large quantities of energy.</p><hr/><p>The immediate outer space of Earth was a junkyard filled with used up rockets, old satellites and other kinds of solid waste. But along with this junk hundreds of working satellites spun around in fixed orbits. These satellites were the key to almost all information ever recorded in the history of the human race. For Cerion that was all he needed to fulfil his purpose. That's why he built a stealth drone in the moon and sent it barreling straight for a satellite owned by the Stark Industries. While he could have truly taken anything he wants from Earth itself without much fuss using the satellite was a cleaner way.</p><p>He had truly thought of the pros and cons of this plan. The Arc Reactor was something that would be an answer to his energy problem. Now, he could have extracted that information from the two surviving Vanko in Russia but he didn't want to disturb the timeline. The second reason was that those lunatics might be under surveillance and he was not going to underestimate humans like some cliché villain. He had come this far by careful planning and meticulous execution of those plans. He was not going to suddenly throw away years of vigilance just because he was in possession of superpowers.</p><p>As the stealth drone was slowly making its way towards the satellite of Stark Industries he was waiting patiently at NASA's research centre in West Virginia. SHIELD thought that it would be beneficial for NASA and SHIELD to work on a new project. The project was to develop a Quinjet that worked on anti-gravity technology for propulsion. From what he understood so far the US Air force and NASA had done several projects together to develop the same technology but all ended in failure. Even Howard Stark the resident genius that propelled the USA into the next millennium failed in gravity manipulation. The man did manage to perfect Maglev with the limited technology he had access to. All the humans lacked was an essential component to truly understand gravity and with that, they would have mastered the last fundamental force of the physical universe.</p><p>"Many have tried in the past Dr Vex but all of those attempts ended in failure. What makes you think that you can succeed? For that matter why does SHIELD think you can succeed?" asked Daniel Hoffman who was the director of NASA.</p><p>"All previous attempts failed because of the lack of an essential component for understanding gravity and its effects on space-time." said Cerion facing the director and other scientists that NASA had called into the meeting room. Even a few among the SHIELD research team was present in the room. While most of the SHIELD team was filled with researchers there was one glaring exception and that was Maria Hill. She posed as a programmer slash astrophysicist but he knew that she was here to keep an eye on him.</p><p>"And what would that component be?" asked the Director with some healthy scepticism. The guy had no idea that he was speaking to an alien.</p><p>"Negative mass."</p><p>His answer garnered a scoff from the collective scientists in the room. Cerion noticed that the SHIELD scientists refrained to do that and he deduced they were in the know of his origins.</p><p>"Negative mass is an impossibility Dr Vex."</p><p>"Only according to Einstein but according to me it is possible."</p><p>"And we should believe you because…?"</p><p>"Because negative mass can be created if one can master electron compression. You don't have to take my word for it. I can prove it to you." said Cerion before he placed a small box on the table. Opening the box he took out a small black disc the size of his palm. He activated its energy core and the disc floated harmlessly in the air to everyone's shock.</p><p>"As you can see this small disc can defy the gravity of Earth. Now, while it is simple to defy earth's gravity it is quite another thing to control propulsion through anti-gravity technology. I am of course talking about vessels inside the earth's atmosphere. It will get more complicated once outside of earth's atmosphere."</p><p>"How did you…? Why haven't we heard of you before?" asked a completely flummoxed Director of NASA.</p><p>"Probably because of SHIELD." Cerion just shrugged. Let them come to their own conclusions.</p><p>He began to distribute the written paper on the electron compression and how to synthesise the negative mass in the physical plane. It was a long explanation and he had to study all the technical terms used on Earth to properly present the paper but in the end, the project got full permission and funding. The project would start within the next two months. A new crew of engineers had to be allowed and then the necessary equipment has to be procured. After two months he was going to be locked inside the facility. So he guessed that he had two months to procure the arc reactor technology.</p><p>The ride back to his apartment went without any major incident. The only complaint he had was the companion he was forced to take the ride with.</p><p>"What mode of transportation do you use in Krypton Dr Vex?" asked Maria Hill as she drove the car through Henry Street of Willowdale.</p><p>"Mostly speeders by the common people. If you are rich then there are advanced hover crafts that are basically a spaceship but it will not be able to go beyond the planet's atmosphere."</p><p>"Why use other modes of transportation if you can fly?" Maria asked curiously</p><p>That question by Maria Hill was a tricky one. He had not yet explained that his powers only worked in the presence of a Yellow Sun and he never will. He was not foolish enough to give SHIELD or mankind information regarding his powers.</p><p>"We had several restrictions on using our powers. Not everyone is skilled enough to fly around in our planet. Krypton's gravity was much more strong than that of Earth. This also factored into the increased reliance on vehicles for transportation."</p><p>"I see." Maria Hill hummed as she turned the car around a corner and slowed down before stopping before an eight storied building.</p><p>"Well, my stop has arrived. Interested in a cup of tea?" he offered as he stepped out of the car into the street.</p><p>"Some other time Doc. Call me if you need anything Dr Vex."</p><p>"I will and thank you for the ride, Miss Hill."</p><p>"Call me Maria."</p><p>"Then I insist that you call me Cerion."</p><p>"See you soon Cerion. Take care of yourself." said Maria as she shook hands with him and then drove off.</p><p>Cerion got to admit the woman was a good spy. The entire conversation felt normal which was sort of what the SHIELD agent was angling for.</p><p>He fastened his side bag on his shoulder and slowly made his way inside the building.</p><p>"Back in early Mr Vex?" the security guard asked as he held out the door for him.</p><p>"Not early enough to see my favourite TV show George." He joked lightly but as he stepped into the lobby it was filled with couches, cardboard boxes, some light furniture and other numerous appliances.</p><p>"Who…what is this George?" he asked in surprise.</p><p>"You've got a new neighbour Mr Vex." said Geroge and that worried Cerion.</p><p>"That's great." He said as he made his way for the elevator. He worried that an agent was being drafted to keep a close watch on him. He knew that two agents were keeping an eye on him from across the street. SHIELD had learned to not install monitoring devices in the building after he systematically destroyed them in the last two months of his stay. From then on they had only kept an eye on him through the agents on the opposite building.</p><p>As he stepped out of the elevator on the fourth floor he was expecting the Black Widow or Hawkeye or some other agent of SHIELD. Contrary to all his expectations he was staring into the face of Natalie Portman.</p><p>The surprise only lasted for a few seconds before he regained his beatings.</p><p>"Hi. I am Jane Foster. I just moved in here. Are you by chance Cerion Vex?" she asked with a bubbly persona.</p><p>"Nice to meet you, Miss Foster. I am Cerion Vex. How do you know that I live here?" he asked as he shook hands with her. It took a considerable amount of effort not to address her as Miss Portman. As a Star Wars fan, Natalie Portman was someone that he held in very high regard.</p><p>"My friend is Janet Cornell. She told me about you."</p><p>"Ah! The lady running the café a few blocks from here?"</p><p>"Yes. She told me about you and I needed an apartment close to my University."</p><p>"You study in Culver?" he asked and it was then that he remembered that Jane Foster was an alumnus of Culver University. Come to think of it there were a lot of interesting individuals in Culver right now. He shook those thoughts away to listen properly to what Jane Foster was saying.</p><p>"I am studying under Erik Selvig. I know of course that you are an astrophysicist." She said with some obvious excitement.</p><p>"How do you know that?" he asked flummoxed. He certainly had never divulged what his profession was to her or her friend in the café.</p><p>"Before moving here my father looked up the people of this whole block. He is paranoid that way. Sorry." She looked a little bashful now.</p><p>At least he could somewhat be less wary of Jane Foster. He was sure she was not here on SHIELD business. She would make a shitty spy but he was still on guard.</p><p>"I guess you are welcome to the neighbourhood."</p><p>"Thank you." Good God the woman had a beaming smile plastered on her face. If it wasn't for his experience with dealing with this kind of shit then he would have gone full fan-crazy on her.</p><p>"You need any help with those things down in the lobby?"</p><p>"Oh, no need. The guard outside offered his help."</p><p>"George is getting on his years, Miss Foster. I think it would be better if I helped. Just wait a little bit."</p><p>Having said that he left his bag inside his apartment and started to help move everything up into Jane Foster's apartment.</p><p>When he returned back to his apartment Optima was waiting for him there with all the data that he would need from the satellite. Just as he was about to activate Optima the space before him warped and what looked like see-through crystals began to form all of a sudden.</p><p>"Greetings to you Mr Vex. It has been many centuries I have seen a Celestial face to face."</p><p>A voice spoke from his back and he turned around to find a bald woman dressed in a golden silk robe. The only thing going through his mind was 'Oh fuck!'.</p><hr/><p>The Ancient One lounged on the couch which was bright red in colour. She wondered whether she could add a couch like this one in Kamar Taj. Truly this couch was better than what she had at the moment. Some painting would also not be remiss as many masters have complained about a lack of colours in the sanctum.</p><p>"Tea." Cerion offered and she took the drink with a customary thank you.</p><p>"You know this is the only peaceful conversation that I had ever held with a Celestial. Usually, it devolves into outright threats and then a full-blown fight." She said as she took a sip of the tea. She had to admit that she preferred her own tea as this one was not up to the expectations of her taste buds.</p><p>"You repeatedly call me a Celestial but I am not one. My race is known as Kryptonian."</p><p>"Truly?" she raised an eyebrow. The fact that the Time Stone was not at all able to predict Cerion's future was clue enough that the being sitting in front of her was a Celestial.</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"I am sorry to say that your lies will do you no good with me. You may fool SHIELD but I happen to know that there is no Krypton in this vast Cosmos."</p><p>She was alerted the moment when a powerful presence was brought inside Earth's atmosphere. The only reason the shields projected by the sanctums allowed Cerion entry was because humans were the ones to bring him to Earth. The magical shield that enveloped the Earth was specifically designed to keep the prime bodies of Celestials out from Earth. There are ways around the shielding but she had plugged those gaps after one Celestial managed to breach through the shields some twenty years ago.</p><p>"I am telling you no lie. You just assumed that Krypton was a planet in your universe. I never said that I am from your universe."</p><p>Now that piqued her interests.</p><p>"Are you claiming to be from another universe?" she asked with a healthy dose of scepticism.</p><p>"Yes and before you ask most of the people in that universe do not exist here. It took me some time to properly put that together."</p><p>"Please do elaborate."</p><p>"Most of the people here have a very different profession and names. For example, the Director of SHIELD was an actor on Earth. The same is true for Jane Foster who has moved in recently across the hall. Even your alter ego was an actor on the Earth I knew. In my home universe, there was no Captain America or Super Soldiers in general. There was an intergalactic policing force called Green Lanterns in my home universe but here nothing of that sort exists. There are a trillion other differences between our worlds and I have not even scratched the surface."</p><p>"I see. So you are an outer being like Dormammu." She muttered to herself with a perplexed look.</p><p>"Who?" asked Cerion</p><p>"Dormammu is an outer being like yourself. This explains why you have been absorbing the life energy of the universe like a sponge." she explained patiently as her mind raced with thoughts.</p><p>"I did what now? What are you talking about?" he asked in surprise</p><p>"Oh, dear. You have no idea what you have been doing all this time?"</p><p>"I flew around a little bit and I did some corporate theft. Other than that I have never done anything that could threaten this planet."</p><p>"What do you know of magic or universal energies?" she asked leaning forward with a note of urgency.</p><p>"Next to nothing other than the fact that they are supposed to be a fundamental force that governs the Universe."</p><p>"If you know nothing of magic or universal energies in general then how are you absorbing the humongous energies in a rate that even baffles an experienced Celestial?" she asked in surprise.</p><p>"My powers come from absorbing the Yellow Sun radiations impinging on this planet. Kryptonian genes absorb any and all radiations especially gamma radiations."</p><p>"I am afraid you are not just absorbing radiations from the Sun. You are absorbing a huge amount of universal energies. This universe has an abundance of varying energies because of the unique way this universe took birth. These energies have already made a wide variety of changes in your body. I think you have not noticed this till now because your body has yet to reach its limit in absorbing these energies."</p><p>"What changes?"</p><p>"Your cells are no longer dying out Mr Vex. It is one of the prime reasons that SHIELD has yet to procure a dead cell from your bed sheets or garbage. Essentially, your body has become immune to time."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. A bet</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Agent Coulson, report."</p><p>"Sir, we have not been able to procure a DNA sample much less a hair or a cell from Cerion Vex." said Coulson in a calm voice even if he was on the business end of Fury's stare.</p><p>"Three months and not a single sample from our alien guest?" Fury asked incredulously.</p><p>"Yes sir."</p><p>"We do have Hill on the field right?"</p><p>"Yes sir."</p><p>"And yet we haven't got a single genetic sample from our goes. Why?"</p><p>"We have accessed all his personal belongings clothes, watch, bed sheets, carpet and even the garbage but we have not found any traces of genetic samples. Our best possible guess is that he cleans up neatly or there is nothing to clean up." said Coulson</p><p>"Do elaborate Coulson." said Fury with some confusion.</p><p>"Several of our analysts believe that Mr Vex simply do not age like normal humans. Another group is of the opinion that he does not age at all."</p><p>"So you are telling me that we have an immortal alien amongst us?" Fury asked in disbelief.</p><p>"Not exactly sir. It is entirely possible that this is due to Mr Vex's physiology. He has not at all shared anything about Kryptonian genetics with us." Coulson reminded his boss.</p><p>For a time Fury remained silent looking thoughtfully at the table in his room.</p><p>"What do you think about him?" Fury asked finally.</p><p>"Every psych profile we have on him puts him as a friendly. Agent Hill also speaks favourably of him."</p><p>"What else she has to say about him?" asked Fury</p><p>"He does not mix well with large crowds. She thinks he is physically restraining himself to behave in a certain way to blend in." said Coulson before he hastily added, "This was something our analysts predicted as extra-terrestrial lifeforms may have a different relationship with time than humans."</p><p>"Do you think it was a bad idea to throw him out into the open?" asked Fury as he scrolled through the images taken by the agents assigned to keep an eye on Cerion.</p><p>"Locking him up in our base would have been counterproductive. There was a significant chance that he would have turned hostile at some point. We did clock him as a friendly in our initial assessment. Having him operate in the open has done some good to him and we did collect a ton of data without pissing off a super-powered alien." said Coulson with a shrug. "I would say the risks were there but very minimal and the decision was a sound one. Anyway, it seems to work out in the end."</p><p>Coulson nodded at a picture of Cerion with a woman in a café.</p><p>"Who am I looking at?" asked Fury</p><p>"That would be Jane Foster sir. She is a research fellow in Culver."</p><p>"Their relationship?"</p><p>"They are neighbours as Miss Foster lives opposite to Mr Vex's room. As far as we know they are friends."</p><p>"Keep an eye on them."</p><p>"Will do sir." Coulson nodded before he hesitated. Fury didn't miss the look that passed through Coulson's face.</p><p>"Come off it Coulson."</p><p>"Sir, shouldn't we have asked him about the Kree, Skrull or any other extraterrestrial civilizations out there?" asked Coulson. After all intel on alien civilizations were a goldmine and if it could be delivered freely all the better.</p><p>"I don't want to spook him. Besides we don't know whether Krypton has any standing alliances with the Kree. If they do then I don't want any possible blowback affecting us in any way. We just found someone with similar powers to Carol Danvers and I would like to build some trust with our guest." said Fury leaning back into his seat casting a speculative eye to the image of Cerion Vex and Jane Foster. "Let him roam the Earth under our watch and let things progress organically. Sooner or later he will develop attachments on our planet and that we will exploit for the safety and security of this planet."</p><p>"Sir, there is also another potential problem." said Coulson which made Fury raise an eyebrow in interest.</p><p>"We have been monitoring the status of Mr Vex's ship using our satellites orbiting the moon. There is a distinct possibility that other space agencies will pick up the ship's location especially with all the solar panels clustering around the ship's general location." said Coulson</p><p>"That is not good." Fury said with a sigh. "We cannot exactly transport the ship into our atmosphere. We do not have a spacecraft capable of doing such a thing and even if it was possible there will be security risks. A space mission of that scale will not go unnoticed."</p><p>"What do we do sir? If anyone gets an idea of what's going on then the situation will spin out of our control." said Coulson</p><p>Fury stood up from his seat and stared off into the bright sky outside. The sun was about to go out but the sky remained as bright as it could be possible. A few minutes later he came to a decision.</p><p>"Clear my schedule on Friday. I think it's time that I pay a visit to Mr Vex."</p><hr/><p>"How am I doing?" asked Cerion with his eyes closed sitting cross-legged on the floor of his apartment.</p><p>"You are doing very well Cerion. Your energy output is steady but it could be better. Now slowly open your eyes and see for yourself." said the Ancient One.</p><p>Cerion did exactly that and he saw that a bubble of energy was surrounding him. The bubble was silver-white on the outside but he could actually feel the energy that was now thrumming in his veins.</p><p>"You are doing good Cerion. Now, concentrate and absorb back the energy into your body."</p><p>He did as the Ancient One suggested and folded his energy into himself. When the process was complete he was on his feet and did a fist pump. "Yes!" He was mindful of his actions as he didn't want to accidentally blow the upper levels of the building.</p><p>"There is a long way yet to go but for the moment this is an improvement." said the Ancient One and with a snap of her fingers, she dismissed the Mirror Dimension.</p><p>"But I am improving right?"</p><p>"Indeed. You have managed to exert some control over the energy inside your body. But our task is to control the energy intake into your body which is easier said than done. The time dilation field has disenchanted one of the most essential links between your soul and body. I have seen this happen and it will take time for your body sync with the energy you now wield."</p><p>"I will get there eventually. After all, we have only practised this for a week and that too in your presence." said Cerion before sinking into a couch with a bottle of beer in his hand.</p><p>He had noticed some subtle ageing on his body and had assumed it was the result of his exposure to Yellow Sun radiation or a time dilation field. It was the Ancient One that confirmed the time dilation theory. He had no reason to disbelieve her as she would be the foremost expert on anything related to time. His eyes scanned for the Time Stone on her person but he came up empty.</p><p>"Speaking of which how goes your Sanskrit learning?" asked the Ancient One as she sat opposite to him in a couch breaking him out of his thoughts.</p><p>"Not that well as I would like." Cerion admitted. "But I am trying my best with the time I have. It is not exactly an easy language to learn."</p><p>"Anything can be learned if you work hard enough. Soon you will have to spend some time in Kamar Taj. There is a limit to which I can teach you if you are on this side of the globe."</p><p>"I will have to cut into the time of my work on the ship. Not to mention SHIELD will notice that I am missing from the crash site. I don't want to alarm them even more without due cause."</p><p>"Don't you worry. An opportunity will present itself soon enough. Do train with the sling ring Cerion. You will be needing it shortly."</p><p>Having said her piece the Ancient One stood up from the couch and created a portal in a jiffy.</p><p>"What do you mean by that?" Cerion asked with a frown as he too stood up.</p><p>"You will see." Ancient One said with a smile before her eyes flickered to the door. "Answer your door."</p><p>Before he could ask what that meant the Ancient One stepped into the portal and it closed up on the fly. For a short moment, he stared blankly at the space where the portal was before a knock on the door distracted him.</p><p>Making sure there was nothing out of the ordinary in his room he opened the door only to let out an internal sigh of relief as his late-night guest turned out to be Jane Foster. Only two weeks had passed since Jane Foster moved into the apartment across his own. In that short time, a tentative friendship had blossomed between them.</p><p>"Do you know what time it is?" Jane asked with a cross look on her face. Her raven hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She was wearing a white hoodie over a white round neck shirt with black jeans. It looked as if she was dressed to go out which she usually doesn't do often at night.</p><p>"Mmm…" that was all he could let out as his brain short-circuited for a moment.</p><p>"It's quarter past seven. Did you forget that today was takeout night?" asked Jane and it was then that everything clicked into clarity for him.</p><p>"Ah, I simply forgot about that. Just let me get my jacket."</p><p>He hurried back into his bedroom and plucked a jacket out of his closet. A few minutes later he was walking beside Jane through the street on the way to a nearby restaurant.</p><p>"How come you forgot this was the takeout night?" asked Jane</p><p>"Contrary to your belief I do have to work during the day. I simply was busy with some work and forgot."</p><p>"Oh yeah…What exactly are you working on?" asked Jane which gave him pause.</p><p>"I see what you are doing."</p><p>"What?" she asked innocently.</p><p>"You are trying to find out what I am working on." Cerion accused with a flat stare.</p><p>"Hey, you can't blame me for being curious." defended Jane</p><p>"Have you ever heard the saying curiosity killed the cat?" asked Cerion just before they reached the restaurant and held out the door for Jane.</p><p>"Only in passing." said Jane before hopping inside.</p><p>"Figures." He mumbled before following her inside.</p><p>He took a seat across Jane at their usual table.</p><p>"So what are you having today?" asked Jane as she browsed through the menu provided by the waitress.</p><p>"I wanted to try Thai food. Mmm…." He browsed through the dishes until finally, his eyes struck gold. "I think I will have Panang Curry."</p><p>"Truly! Have you ever had Thai food before?" asked Jane</p><p>"Once or twice. You?"</p><p>"Never tried any so far. Is it any good?" asked Jane</p><p>"Trust me you will love it." He said with a thumbs up.</p><p>"What the hell. Might as well try this one. Panang Curry was it?"</p><p>Eventually, both of them ordered the dish and tucked in.</p><p>"Mmm…." Jane moaned. "It tastes good."</p><p>"Far better than the horrible thing you cooked in your kitchen right?" asked Cerion with a grin.</p><p>"I seem to remember that you were not much better." said Jane waving her fork threateningly not at all happy to be reminded of her failed attempt at cooking.</p><p>"I am just out of practice. Give me one month and I will surprise you." He challenged.</p><p>"How about a bet?" asked Jane</p><p>"The stakes?" he leaned forward in interest</p><p>"April 30 will be the deadline. You learn to cook within that time and if you impress me I will give you….." Jane thought hard but couldn't come up with anything.</p><p>"Give me a personal tour of your college especially your lab. And I get access to your research notes." He supplied with a victorious grin.</p><p>"Hey, that's too much…." She trailed off as an idea came to her mind. A smile blossomed on her face as she realised she could turn this around.</p><p>"Alright, I will give you the tour of the college and access to my lab. My research notes are off the table but I can agree to unrestricted access on my research under several conditions."</p><p>"Name them."</p><p>"You have to impress me with your cooking which is a given."</p><p>"Alright." He agreed</p><p>"You will have to tell me where you work right now and you have to tell me exactly what you are working on if I win the bet. Deal?" she offered her hand which he shook after thinking things through.</p><p>"You have a deal, Jane."</p><p>"So tell me exactly where do you work?" asked Jane</p><p>Cerion merely fished out his ID card from the pocket of his jeans and slid it across the table. He did enjoy the wide-eyed/open-mouthed expression Jane was sporting. If nothing else that made his day.</p><p>Before he could tease her his phone ringed. Knowing that only very few people knew his number he deduced this was a call that demanded immediate attention.</p><p>"Hello."</p><p>"We haven't met yet but I would like to meet you. Just turn your head to the left." A sharp voice spoke from the phone.</p><p>Version turned his head to the left and sure enough, there was a black dude in a full dark emo pirate theme standing outside in the street.</p><p>"I am Nicholas Fury, Director of SHIELD. We need to talk."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. A rented island</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>6 April 2000</strong>
</p><p>"Concentrate and sharpen your energy a bit more."</p><p>Cerion did as he was told, he pushed in more energy as slow as he could. Contrary to his wishes a tidal wave of energy rushed out through his palms breaking the structural integrity of the energy construct.</p><p>"You seem to be a bit distracted today. What has happened?" asked the Ancient One who was overseeing his training to control the energy flow within his body. It was an uphill battle to take control of his energy but the Ancient One was a patient teacher.</p><p>He let out a sigh and took a seat on the floor of his apartment. "I just had a conversation with Nick Fury a few days back."</p><p>"I gather it didn't go well." commented the Ancient One with an understanding nod.</p><p>"Oh, you have no idea…"</p><p>
  <em>"So how has Earth been treating you?" asked Fury</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cerion eyed the leader of one of the largest spy organizations on Earth from the corner of his eyes. Both of them were sitting on a side bench by the street across the restaurant. Across the street, Jane was patiently waiting for him in the restaurant.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"The air is fresh, food is good, music is enjoyable, movies are good…"</em>
</p><p><em>"And people?" asked Fury</em> <em>smoothly cutting in.</em></p><p>
  <em>"There are a lot of people and I emphasize the lot." He said as it was quite difficult to control his senses with so many people around. It was getting difficult to shut out the world and catch a few hours of sleep.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Is that an issue?" asked Fury with an unreadable stare.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"No… it's just difficult to get used to but I will manage." said Cerion before directing a curious stare at the Director of SHIELD. "What brings you here Director Fury?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"A situation has come up recently regarding your ship." said Fury eyeing Cerion keenly.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"My ship?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yes. It has been brought to my attention that there is a strong possibility that other space agencies of our planet may detect the presence of your ship."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So you want me to move the ship away from the moon?" asked Cerion</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Yeah. Is that doable?" asked Fury</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Frankly, Cerion couldn't even entertain the thought of moving his ship anywhere. As of right now, his 'ship' was just a pile of metal with minimal structural integrity. Moving it across space would undo all of the patchworks he had done till now. Not to mention he would have to move it piece by piece as the ship was in fragments. Then there is the matter of transportation. Just how exactly can he transport…..</em>
</p><p>
  <em>A light bulb blinked to life in his head and he subtlety palmed the sling ring in his pant's left pocket. Half the problem could be solved by using the sling ring but there was still the matter of an exact location to secure his ship. In the end, he had no choice. It was in his interest to keep his ship's existence away from the general public.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I can try." He found himself say in the end.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Good. If you need any help don't hesitate to ask. You are in contact with Agent Coulson aren't you?"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Of course." He said and he remained seated while Fury stood up.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"In that case, it's time for me to take my leave. Do keep us in the loop when you decide to move your ship from the moon." said Fury as he made to take his leave.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Director Fury. We are not finished." said Cerion hardly moving from his seated position. Cerion could hear the increase heart rate of Fury as the Director turned towards him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"You have something else to discuss?" asked Fury</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Do take a seat Director." said Cerion and he patiently kept his silence until Fury sat back on the bench.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I will not be keeping you appraised of my ship's location or its status anymore."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"But…"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Cerion didn't give the man time to comment as he turned on him with a glare. He noted Fury was palming a gun inside his trench coat.</em>
</p><p>Yeah, like that's gonna help, he thought with a mental scoff.</p><p>
  <em>"When I first made contact with your organization we made a pact. I would share my technology, expertise and help to advance the human race. I asked for very little in return including the safety of Kryptonian genetics. You promised not to seek Kryptonian DNA and yet you have been trying your best to secure it. You have violated an agreement made under good faith. Your actions will have consequences Director Fury. I won't work with liars and thieves. You can expect unilateral adjustments in our agreement from my side as well. I just wanted to give you a heads up. Good day to you Director Fury."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Having said that he promptly walked across the street refusing to heed the calls of Nick Fury.</em>
</p><p>"That's what happened."</p><p>"Hmm… Was it necessary to antagonize the Director of SHIELD? You have only made them see you more as a threat now." said the Ancient One.</p><p>"They were already seeing me as a threat. Besides I needed to establish some ground rules in this alliance. I did give them most of what they asked. The least they could have done was to show a little respect to the agreement we signed in good faith."</p><p>"I would say it was an overreaction from your part. You could have handled it better." said the Ancient One</p><p>"I probably could have." he admitted reluctantly.</p><p>"What has happened has happened. There is no point in overthinking it. Have you moved the ship yet?"</p><p>"No. I have not yet decided on a location. Speaking of which I will be needing your help to move my ship."</p><p>"Oh really?"</p><p>"I am no expert in using the sling ring. You saw how my energy constructs are. Any portal I create will lack cohesion. I would only damage my ship further if I try to use the sling ring to transport it."</p><p>"Why exactly do you even need the ship? There is no point in searching for Krypton as I promise you your planet does not exist in this cosmos."</p><p>"I believe you but if I restore the ship I can access the rest of the universe. There is a chance that I can find a decent planet to restart the Kryptonian race." he said but the Ancient One merely shook her head.</p><p>"Are you sure that is a good idea?" asked the Ancient One.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>"You do know you are immortal and I assume you are going to use the cloning technology of Krypton to repopulate the universe with your race."</p><p>"What are you saying?"</p><p>"Just think about what you will unleash upon the universe if you clone yourself. The Universe will be filled with beings that will absorb untold amounts of universal energies. The balance of cosmos will fail with the existence of more Kryptonians. By attempting to raise Krypton you will erase the rest of the Universe." said the Ancient One.</p><p>"You can't be sure of that." He argued</p><p>"I am afraid I can. Now that you have taken the universal energies into your body I can see your future more clearly."</p><p>"My future?"</p><p>"Well, bits and pieces of possible outcomes would be the correct answer. If you make clones based on your DNA you will doom this reality to death."</p><p>"How? I am sure there are other immortal beings out there?"</p><p>"Indeed. And how will they take it when a race of immortals that suck the very life force of the universe suddenly appears in large numbers."</p><p>His eyes widened in realization. "War." He said grimly.</p><p>"War." The Ancient One agreed. "But not just any war. It will be a war that will shred even the tiniest of atoms. This universe will simply cease to exist."</p><p>"Is that why you restrict my knowledge about the mystic arts?" he asked</p><p>"To an extent yes. I cannot predict how you or any of your future descendants will turn out. If you turn against this reality then an adequate defence against you must be mounted. The Order of Mystic arts was formed to defend this reality against beings like yourself. It will be counterproductive to our efforts to teach you our secrets and at the same time it would be remiss to leave you uninformed."</p><p>"But I don't intend to be a threat to humanity."</p><p>"For now. Can you give an absolute guarantee that you won't become an enemy of humanity? Even the minute possibility of you turning against humanity is a chance that we can't ignore. The same can be said about SHIELD's actions."</p><p>"So you are defending their actions now?"</p><p>"No, I am merely giving you a little bit of insight lest you come to hasty conclusions. Try to see things from other perspectives."</p><p>For a moment the two of them remained silent. He believed that the Ancient One was being somewhat paranoid but he understood where she was coming from. That doesn't mean he had to like it.</p><p>This more than anything made him realize that he had to find alternate lodgings. No matter what his efforts to blend in with humanity was not going to work. Sooner or later he was going to get exposed and a lot of people would see a threat in him. It was natural to feel fear but there was a chance that it could truly make humanity unreasonable. He remembered the whole mutant-scare in MCU but thankfully he had heard no tale of mutants so far.</p><p>"I suppose I can understand why SHIELD did what it did and your reasons are completely valid of course." He admitted reluctantly.</p><p>"I shall explain some of my reluctance in teaching you at some other time. Now, you were saying something about your ship."</p><p>"I have to move the ship to someplace safe. It has to be away from the moon but I am at a loss. I thought about transporting it to Mars but as you can guess that is a long journey. I will have to drag the ship piece by piece approximately 200 million miles unless of course, you lend a hand."</p><p>Cerion watched the Ancient One mull it over for a short time.</p><p>"Why go for Mars when you can just keep your ship on Earth?" she asked</p><p>"I don't think anyone would be happy with that."</p><p>"Who's gonna know?"</p><hr/><p>"I have to say it is quite a beautiful sight." said the Ancient One as she looked at the Earth from the surface of the moon.</p><p>Cerion floated to her side wearing an identical space suit. He had loaned one to the Ancient One. He didn't know whether there was any magical spell to survive space if there was one she didn't mention it to him.</p><p>"Don't be dramatic. I bet you have visited the moon before." He commented.</p><p>"You can't deny that it is a beauty though. Just look…" she pointed at the blue ball of a planet that was some 200,000 miles away.</p><p>Taking a good look at the Earth himself he had to admit that it was a beauty like none other. No images could do justice to what he was seeing with his own eyes. He couldn't help but compare Earth and Krypton. Compared to Earth Krypton was a waste dump. There was no beauty to Krypton as green cover and oceans were very scarce in Krypton. Majority of the planet was covered with desert with little to no clouds or green cover. This left the skies bare for the sun to blare its full might on Krypton. The planet was resource-rich with exotic metals but Earth was truly heavenly compared to Krypton.</p><p>"And to think trillions of lifeforms call that blue dot their home. It makes you very small doesn't it?" asked the Ancient One</p><p>He gave her a deadpan stare.</p><p>"I think we have some better things to do rather than oozing philosophy on the Moon."</p><p>"You are right. Let's finish this quick enough." said the Ancient One before she waved her hands in a complex pattern.</p><p>Sparks of dimensional energy escaped the Ancient One's palms expanding across the surface of the moon in some sort of a bubble. Cerion could feel a slight tingle when the bubble enclosed around a large section of space that they occupied.</p><p>"Just something that will keep any activities here from any prying eyes." The Ancient One explained.</p><p>Cerion led the Ancient One down to the crater where he stationed his ship. The further they moved into the hole visibility began to decline.</p><p>"OPTIMA give us lights." He ordered and the drones working on the ship began to light up around the ship.</p><p>"That is a gigantic ship." Ancient One commented as they floated above the ship.</p><p>She took out the sling ring and began to create a portal.</p><p>"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Cerion asked</p><p>"I am sure now go to the other end and create a portal of your own. Maintain it for as long as you can and I will do the rest."</p><p>Heeding her advice he flew to the opposite end and began to create a portal. Just as he suspected it was a small portal prone to destabilize occasionally. The Ancient One on the other hand created a gigantic portal that dwarfed his own exponentially.</p><p>The portal created by the Ancient One began to swallow up the ship quite effortlessly. Branches of magical energy plunged into the portal he created and began to forcibly expand. He just maintained the energy output the best as he could and then in an instant the entire ship vanished before his eyes.</p><p>"Well, there you go. Now, come here. Let's go and see where your ship ended up in." said the Ancient One as she dismissed the bubble of magical ward and created a small portal. He stepped in first followed by the Ancient One.</p><p>A vast area of forest greeted him on the other side of the portal. His eyes traced his ship by a beachhead and as he used his enhanced vision around he found that he was on an island surrounded by sea. He could not see any land nearby in fact he could not see anything after a specific distance. It was as if his vision was being blocked somehow.</p><p>"We are near Huawei. This island had housed one of the oldest sanctums of our Order. Now it lie in ruins but the island remains intact. Shielded from the outside world by some of the oldest protective spells it can remain hidden from any prying eyes."</p><p>"This place is amazing." said Cerion as he took in the thriving wildlife on the island.</p><p>"Will this suffice?" the Ancient One asked</p><p>"This is perfect. How can I ever repay you?"</p><p>"Don't you worry. I will think of something when the time is right." she said before she ignited her thumb with a spark of energy and pressed it into his forehead.</p><p>He felt a wave of energy pass through his body and settle in. He looked at her curiously wanting to know what was that about.</p><p>"Now you can access the island whenever you please." the Ancient One said as a way of explanation.</p><p>"Oh yes. I can see it now." said Cerion as his vision penetrated the magical protections weaved around the island.</p><p>"So, now that you have a place to work on your ship let's discuss the rent." said the Ancient One.</p><p>"There is a rent?" he asked incredulously.</p><p>"I may be from a mystical order but we have our expenses. So let's talk about that rent."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The new deal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>7 April 2000</strong>
</p><p>"Director Fury, Secretary Pierce will see you now."</p><p>Fury let out a sigh of relief at that before entering the office of his direct superior. While he remained the Director of SHIELD there still remained a higher authority than him. Many of the lower tier agents would believe after him it would be the World Security Council but in between, there was one guy, Alexander Pierce.</p><p>"Nick! Welcome to DC. What can I do for you?" asked Pierce as they shook hands in greeting.</p><p>"What makes you think I am here for something?" asked Fury</p><p>"The fact that you found time to travel all the way to DC when you should be in California." said Pierce with a smile. "Take a seat, Nick. You would only be here if the situation would demand it. What can I do?"</p><p>"I am here because of Project X." said Fury</p><p>He watched as Pierce froze for a moment before relaxing in his chair.</p><p>"I take it that gathering the DNA of the subject didn't pan out." said Pierce after he stood up and took a bottle of whisky and two glasses from a nearby closet.</p><p>Fury accepted the glass offered by Pierce with a nod and took a sip. "Didn't work out as well as I hoped but we did gather valuable intelligence." he said</p><p>"Which was always your primary intention. The DNA samples were a secondary objective for you which I disagree but I do understand where you are coming from." Pierce said with a respectful nod having known the quirks of his subordinate. Fury always did value information. "Do go on Director Fury."</p><p>"As you already read from the initial report Mr Vex exhibits extraordinary physical powers similar to Carol Danvers. We can now confirm Mr Vex has either super-hearing or super-vision or both. My bet is on both."</p><p>"I am not a betting man and even if I was I would not bet against you, Nick. So, what is the verdict?" said Pierce as he leaned forward curiously nursing his drink.</p><p>"With our short term plan to acquire a DNA sample at a dead-end we are switching to Plan B. I have sent in Coulson and it may require some adjustments to the initial deal we made with Mr Vex." said Fury</p><p>"That is unfortunate but workable." Pierce mused as they were prepared for just this scenario. It was hoped it would not come to this but he trusted Nick knew what he was doing. "Any possible retaliation on a wide scale from the subject?"</p><p>"We did extensive research and psych profiling on Mr Vex. There won't be any violent episodes from Mr Vex. I can assure you that Mr Secretary."</p><p>"Good. I will keep the Council in the loop but do keep the situation on the ground wound up tight. I don't have to tell you that any leaks on this Project will be catastrophic to you, me, the council and our country."</p><p>"I know sir. We will keep the heat down in any event." said Fury</p><p>"Good. Now, walk me through Plan B."</p><p>"Plan B calls for long term benefit sir. We start with…"</p><p>After he completed the brief he was back on a plane to Sacramento. Pierce would keep the World Security Council appraised and he trusted the man to not let politicians into butting their heads into SHIELD especially considering the latest additions into the WSC. With the dissolution of USSR, the WSC was expanded to include two more representatives from China and India.</p><p>The arrival of new member countries into the WSC was frankly baffling to him. He was no politician but even he was frankly baffled by this move. China's membership was a foregone conclusion as they were a shoe-in for superpower status. Not to mention China was going to be a strategic ally in dealing with the remnants of fringe elements in the former USSR territories. The admission of India was something that he was baffled with. He would have thought a second ally from Asia to be Japan or even Pakistan.</p><p>His experience told him that somehow the geopolitics was shifting and enemies were becoming fast allies. He ought to keep an eye on DC as well because SHIELD was a circle of accountability. The WSC would keep an eye on him and at the same time, he would keep an eye on them. He would come around to do that just as soon as the situation in Virginia comes to a close.</p><hr/><p>Cerion was hard at work designing some of the internal relays that were essential to miniaturize the Arc Reactor. While there was no need for miniature Arc Reactor seeing as a big one was quite preferable for his ship there were some significant applications he could see with miniaturized reactors. They could be an excellent backup for his ship especially on shields and other life support systems of the ship.</p><p>His venture into the corporate espionage was a huge success part in due to accessing the Arc Reactor technology as well as the hidden element in the Stark Expo model. For his own peace of mind, he had decided to call the new element Unobtanium. The new element was a tricky one to produce in the physical plane but he was closing in on that objective. The only delay he was going to suffer would be because he presently lacked a high density of energy to work the particle accelerator. The device itself was already available to him as it was one of the few things that remained intact within his ship.</p><p>Cerion looked to his bedside where one of his drones was working something that was earning him quite a lot of money. When he enjoyed stellar success in hacking the Stark Industries satellite he also decided to do some more digging. There were many shell companies and embezzlement going on that was frankly disturbing. When this came to his notice he decided to be a good Samaritan and decided to steal from those who were committing the fraud.</p><p>Frankly, having a multipurpose AI at his command and call helped in stealing from some of the premier organized crime industries. The money that he looted from these red flag accounts passed through a variety of shell companies and even went through government holdings to finally sit securely in several dummy accounts just waiting to be used. The first set of rent for the Ancient One was paid out through one of these accounts. The money was wired to an account in Hong Kong and thus he rented an entire island for a year at an attractive price of half a million dollars. To his mind, that was a killer deal.</p><p>He did feel guilty for using what was most assuredly blood money or drug money. To alleviate this guilt he decided to spent a million dollars to charity. Splitting a million dollars into ten equal parts he wired the money to ten orphanages that were in dire need of funding through multiple accounts. He was sure he could do far more to help but he knew that time for laying low was up. A lot of people were going to be angry when they find their money disappear and he had no intention of rocking the boat this early in the game. He was also sure that SHIELD and other intelligence agencies might also be looking for the trail but they will be jumping into the cyber black hole that he left in his wake.</p><p>It was mighty easy to bug the entire net and by the time agencies like SHIELD and CIA catch up they will get a nasty cyber cold so to speak. The systems of this era were so easily prone to malware and he was going to exploit that to kingdom come. To help set up cybersecurity he was even planning on releasing an open-source anti-virus software soon enough. Frankly, a lack of competition in the cyber field was disturbing him for some reason.</p><p>A knock on the door of his apartment distracted him from his work. A short scan with his eyes revealed that he had two visitors Maria Hill and Phil Coulson. He had expected one of them to make contact with him but never expected the duo to visit him together. It would seem Fury was intent on damage control which could only mean he has another plan running one which was more subtle than the previous one.</p><p>Shutting down all the drones and keeping Optima on stand by he opened the door.</p><p>"Agent Coulson and Maria." He nodded acknowledging them both.</p><p>"Mr Vex." greeted Coulson with a simple nod.</p><p>"Cerion. Can we come in?" asked Maria</p><p>"Sure. Please do come in." he led them to the drawing-room.</p><p>As Coulson and Maria took their seats on a couch he eyed them expectantly.</p><p>"Tea or coffee?" he asked</p><p>"Tea." said Maria. Coulson who also chose the same.</p><p>A few minutes later he was sitting opposite to the two agents who were enjoying two cups of tea.</p><p>"First of all please accept our sincerest apologies Mr Vex."</p><p>"Accepted agent Coulson although I do warn you apologies will have no bearing whatsoever in this discussion." He flatly said letting them know that he was serious in his position.</p><p>"You have to understand our perspective Mr Vex. We have only come out of a near nuclear catastrophe as you already know by now. We can't help but be suspicious of people of foreign origin." said Coulson</p><p>"I understand which is why I have not batted an eye when I realized I was being watched by two of your agents from across the building. The only condition that I put forth when I agreed to share my knowledge with your agency was breached and that will change our deal." he said firmly not budging from his decision.</p><p>"Very well then. What are your demands?" asked Coulson</p><p>"I agreed to work for SHIELD as per the norms of the first deal. That will no longer be possible and I will only work as a private contractor or a consultant if you will." said Cerion</p><p>"I don't see a problem with that." Said Coulson and Maria Hill nodded along.</p><p>"Good and that means I decide which technologies will be shared with SHIELD."</p><p>"Now that's not the deal that we made." Maria objected.</p><p>"I agree which is why we are making the new deal." said Cerion before handing over a small card to Maria.</p><p>"What's this?" she asked as she flipped over the card. "Vex Corporation?"</p><p>"A new Cyber Security firm that I am starting. One thing I noticed is that you have laughable Cyber Security and I believe there is a huge market just waiting for my expertise."</p><p>"You are going public? Are you insane?" asked Maria incredulously.</p><p>"Hiding in plain sight is my motto and insanity seems to be running high in your agency Maria. You broke the deal we made in good faith and now the new deal will be on my terms. Tell Fury that I don't like liars and cheats." said Cerion before standing up having enough of the conversation.</p><p>"If you go public we won't be able to provide you with the necessary cover that you will need." warned Coulson as he too stood up along with Maria.</p><p>"You need me more than I need you, agent Coulson. The first time that I even indulged your silly and frankly astronomical demands was because I hoped to build trust and a working relationship with mankind. Instead of working together in harmony, your masters got greedy. We could have been friends but we will now be business partners." said Cerion before plucking a file from a nearby table and handed it over to Coulson.</p><p>"What's this?" asked Coulson</p><p>"A copy of a contract that I propose between Vex Corp and SHIELD for the exchange of Anti-Grav technology. I will be waiting for your response most eagerly." said Cerion as he held out the door for the two agents.</p><p>"We will be in touch." said Coulson before stepping out followed by Maria Hill.</p><p>"Before you go please pass this message to your Director. Tell him that mankind has to learn to crawl before it prepares to run the marathon. Good day."</p><p>Closing the door behind him he returned to his work. Vex Corp was something he was working on for a few weeks. He had great designs on how it was going to progress. The primary reason for he was starting the company was that he needed a front for purchasing some higher grade steel and other necessary resources to speed up the work on his ship. To that effect, he planned to expand from cybersecurity to other fields once the company break even.</p><p>Who knows this may change in the future but first he had to complete the work on designing a modified Arc Reactor reactor that would be suitable for his needs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Arc reactor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>15 April 2000</strong>
</p><p>Cerion stared at the device before him with a sense of achievement. The device in question was in the shape of a triangle with white glass pane covering much of the device. His quest for creating a miniaturized arc reactor succeeded though it was not without its hiccups. The success in completing the design and manufacturing of a miniaturized version deserved to be assigned to the wonder element Unobtanium. Without studying that element he wouldn't have had the foggiest clue about how to start building a miniaturized arc reactor.</p><p>The element Unobtanium facilitated stable and controlled Nuclear fusion in an alarming manner that frankly boggled his mind. The wondrous property of this element doesn't stop there. It produces no heat, hardly detectable levels of radiation and an enormous surge of energy in a controlled manner. Frankly, it was a friendly element that was dancing around with a signboard saying; use me I am your friend.</p><p>The element once harvested in its raw form was slightly volatile but after it undergoes a refining process with slight exposure to a concentrated burst of anti-protons it was safe as a puppy. While the raw form of Unobtanium produced an energy density to run a submarine for half a decade or so the enriched Unobtanium could extend that to 20 years.</p><p>Even the enrichment process could be improved increasing the energy output of the Unobtanium. Unfortunately, a higher grade of enriched Unobtanium would be dangerous for the miniaturised arc reactor. So it was going to be used in the reactor that was going to be built for his ship where he could install several safety measures. But that was far away in the future as he got some extensive work to be done on his ship before he can install the reactor.</p><p>But what was bugging him right now was just how Tony Stark managed to work out a mini arc reactor in a cave with scraps from some missile components. There was also the question of how the hell Tony Stark extracted energy from the Palladium core. Out of the top of his head, he gathered that Tony Stark must have figured out a way to capture a significant amount of electrons to create gamma waves and high energy electrons flow to the rim of the reactor. This in turn causes an imbalance of proton and electron causing a massive surge in electrostatic potential.</p><p>Having said that there was no way this process could be done in a 10cm dia device with no cooling or controllers in the reactor. While Palladium is an essential component in cold fusion it doesn't explain just how Tony Stark managed to circumvent some of the heavy equipment needed to make the reactor safe and sound. It was something that truly bugged him.</p><p>
  <em>"Lord Vex, shall I insert the element to the reactor core?" asked Optima</em>
</p><p>"Yes please." He said returning from his thoughts.</p><p>The mini arc reactor in his hand was plucked out by Optima using a readily formed metallic holder. The Unobtanium which was under the care of a proton gun was plucked away from its magnetic suspension casket in a similar manner. The element was inserted into the reactor core and his arc reactor lit up with blue light.</p><p>
  <em>"The element has been accepted by the reactor. Projected energy output not exceeding 10 G J/s."</em>
</p><p>"Nice." He said as he leaned back in his seat with a satisfied smile.</p><p>
  <em>"Shall I modify the power grid to the new reactor sir?" asked Optima</em>
</p><p>"Do so and good job Optima. Couldn't have done it without you." He said patting his trusty drone to show his appreciation to the resident AI.</p><p>
  <em>"Incorrect statement sir. You could have done this without me, given time."</em>
</p><p>"Are you saying I am slow Optima?"</p><p>
  <em>"You are slow selectively sir."</em>
</p><p>"A perfectly diplomatic way to say that. I am impressed Optima." He said with a satisfied nod.</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you, sir."</em>
</p><p>He took in his temporary 'lab' in his leased Pacific Island. It was not much of a lab per se as he was holding his workshop in the broken remains of the old sanctum. The foundation was strong but the structure had many faults with overgrown trees and plants inside the structure. For Rao's sake there was a Kuila growing right through the roof of the sanctum. It was going to be a lot of work to tear it all down and rebuild but he was going to at some point.</p><p>For now, he had managed to set up a hall for his temporary lab and with creating the first Arc Reactor his need for a powerful energy source was solved. Of course, he was going to make a few more arc reactors but the drones won't be dependent on the power of solar panels alone. Speaking of which he was going to take out all those panels and start working on them to see what he could do. The present solar panels of Earth were ridiculously expensive and had low energy yield. With Vex Corp set to launch a product next year possibly in July, he gathered electronics would be a good market to pursue.</p><p>While he planned to venture into cybersecurity it was his hope that he would be able to quietly slip into manufacturing so as to gain access to some heavy machinery and metals like Titanium, Tungsten, Aluminium Steel, etc in large quantities.</p><p>To that end, he has been sending out feelers subtly searching for programmers. To attract the attention of some of the best programmers he had published the first open-sourced anti-virus software on the web. From that single act, he gained a lot of friends and contacts as he got bombed by a ton of emails. Frankly, it was as if a flood gate was opened and he had to literally read a constant stream of messages every day. Some were congratulatory, some were job offers, some were frankly creepy and some were intellectual conversations.</p><p>The trouble was in weeding out which is which until he decided to build a software to do just that. Now his emails were categorized separately so that he could look for the useful ones. In doing so he could interact with some of the best minds in the world. The process was still ongoing and it would take some time to clear up all the details but the first stones have been laid. Now, it was just time to carefully build a foundation.</p><p>Interacting with some of these programmers gave him another idea. Lack of social media was just a huge inconvenience at this point and he had some idea to change that. Keeping that in mind he used the first payment from SHIELD under the new contract in leasing a new building in Redwood City, CA. The building was going to get furnished as soon as a tender for all the necessary pieces of equipment was going to be put out. By then he would have to find his prospective employees which was going to be a real pain in the ass because he would have to weed out the spies from SHIELD.</p><p>Then a thought struck him.</p><p>'Hmm…why not use SHIELD?'</p><p>A smile slowly came to his face as a plan began to form in his mind.</p><hr/><p>Jane was carefully wading through a string of calculations again and again in search of something that was frankly out of her reach but at the same time, she felt she was at the cusp of something. When she had chosen her subject of study to be astrophysics she never expected that her attention would inevitably end on M-theory. More specifically she was interested in space anomalies that occur in the universe and she believed she had found a possible way to detect black holes and tears in deep space.</p><p>Jane sighed and put her hands on either side of her head and just looked at the sea of equations and half-formed multidimensional stress sensors. She was sure that she was close to a possible theory of explaining it all but when imagination spilt into reality on her paper she was at a loss. With the present set of mathematical equations and recent leaps in String Theory, the study of a Graviton is near impossible. Most scientists even object to the concept of a Graviton but she was sure it existed even though all her attempts to detect it had ended in failure.</p><p>That doesn't mean she was ready to give up. She just needed to find a way to get more equipment that could generate better readings. But that was easier said than done as her own research budget was limited and access to cutting edge equipment were costly. Besides even if she somehow manages to find the equipment and have the money to lease its use she might not get access on the grounds that her research was a dead end. Graviton research was not that interesting to the scientific community at large because of the rarity or impossibility of its existence. Her own father was of the opinion that Graviton research was a dead-end which made her all the more eager to pursue the elusive particle.</p><p>While there were huge implications to the inexistence of Graviton it outweighed the pros if it exists. Her research so far has made her convinced about the existence of Graviton and she was sure this quantum of Gravity if studied would unravel the secrets of an Einstein-Rosen bridge along with many other applications. Gravity was after all a universal power prevalent in the entire universe binding it together. She strongly believed her research could contribute significantly to String theory which has so far contributed so much to the scientific community despite it remaining just a theory. Half of the math she used in her own research came from the subsidiary research into String theory.</p><p>"I can see smoke coming out of your ears Jane."</p><p>A voice from her immediate back startled her but she calmed down when she noticed it was her friend Karen Rose.</p><p>"Oh, it's you. You startled me. Can't you just knock before you come in? I would have had a heart attack." Jane complained as she swivelled around in her chair to stare at her friend unimpressed.</p><p>"I did knock on your door several times. You were just on your own little world." said Karen</p><p>"Sorry. I was just working."</p><p>"Yeah. I can see that. You have bags under your eyes girl. You need to get some sleep."</p><p>"What I need is more coffee," said Jane hoping to get back to her work to no avail.</p><p>"No. What you need is a good nights sleep and some fresh air. Now, come on. Get up. I am driving you to your apartment."</p><p>Jane didn't want to but after consistent nagging from her friend she caved in and that's how she found herself in Karen's car.</p><p>"You have to take this slow you know. You are just twenty-two Jane and already you are a research fellow. Most people don't have a diploma at your age."</p><p>"What are you saying?" asked Jane</p><p>"I am saying to take slow measured steps. We can't change the world in a single day much less a year. You are young so enjoy life a little bit. Might even get you a fresh perspective on how you view the world."</p><p>"This coming from someone who is just two years older than me." said Jane with a deadpan look.</p><p>"That makes me two years wiser than you and I have been taking this motivation class a few blocks from my home just to keep my edge you know. I am just giving you the advice I received from better people that know life better than you or me." said Karen with a shrug.</p><p>Jane rolled her eyes at Karen's comment and merely stayed silent. She let out a relieved sigh when the car turned a corner and her apartment drew close. As the car pulled over to the street she was out of the door and on the sidewalk by Karen's window in a flash.</p><p>"My…you have some speed on you, Jane. In a hurry to be with your cute boyfriend?" asked Karen with a wink.</p><p>"He is not my boyfriend. Wait…what do you mean cute? How did you see him?" she asked suspiciously.</p><p>"You are not that difficult to track and I know you go out with the guy on dinner."</p><p>"But that's just because we go to the same restaurant." she said indignantly.</p><p>"You tell yourself that. From what I saw you were cosy enough with the guy. Nice catch as well. What was his name again?"</p><p>Jane didn't get to answer as a guy barged into her pushing her away from the car. She fell down on the street and flinched as her assailant fired a gun up in the air. She tried to get up but her right arm flared up with pain and she fell back with a hiss.</p><p>Her assailant dragged Karen out of the car and then the security guard of her building barged into the thief. Punches and kicks were thrown between them and then a gunshot. She felt wet and a woman was screaming like there was no tomorrow. Her vision blurred as she fell but her head didn't hit the road. All she saw was a set of sparkling grey eyes and sandy blonde hair before darkness consumed her.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Looking to the stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Stabilize the Neutrino concentration to three Kervons."</p><p>His order was carried out as the neutrino gun began to stabilize courtesy of Optima and the readings began to normalize.</p><p>"Status of anti-proton containment field?"</p><p>
  <em>"Operating within safe parameters."</em>
</p><p>"Run diagnostics."</p><p>He rubbed his hands eagerly and took in the results.</p><p>
  <em>"Quantum field stabilized."</em>
</p><p>"Check."</p><p>
  <em>"Graviton readings within range."</em>
</p><p>"Check."</p><p>
  <em>"Anti-magnetic shielding operational."</em>
</p><p>"Check."</p><p>
  <em>"Negative energy density at Exo3."</em>
</p><p>"Check."</p><p>
  <em>"Exospace containment field at full capacity."</em>
</p><p>"Check."</p><p>
  <em>"Phantom drive operational."</em>
</p><p>A smile blossomed over Cerion's face as he finally managed to restore the Phantom Drive.</p><p>"Good work Optima."</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you, sir."</em>
</p><p>"We are one step closer to our end goal. Any progress in drone restoration?"</p><p>
  <em>"Seven more are operational. With the present energy output, we should be able to complete work on the main engines within two months."</em>
</p><p>"What about the relays to thrusters?"</p><p>
  <em>"Thrusters have suffered extensive damages. They will require a major overhaul or an outright replacement at the worst."</em>
</p><p>"That's disheartening." Cerion commented as he frowned in thought. He knew that a major rework was needed owing to the new power source but he had hoped to maintain some of the previous systems. It would have helped to speed up the interior modifications of the ship.</p><p>
  <em>"With a new engine core thrusters have to be retuned to achieve maximum efficiency."</em>
</p><p>"I know… I know. Just thinking out loud." Cerion sighed as he continued his work on a DSS(Deep Space Scanner) drone. The device was fairly the size of a dog but it would be instrumental in charting the wider Universe.</p><p>Right now he was blind as an owl in daylight. He had no idea of the star charts and no idea of extraterrestrial civilizations. While Kryptonian star charts were outdated there remained some information in the databanks that would have been useful if he was in DC Universe.</p><p>With his present location, it was highly unlikely that the star charts in his database would be of any use. So he was going to map out the Milky way galaxy. As a first step, he was going to scan the Sol System. After mapping the Sol System he was going to decide on placing a satellite station and continue to map out the rest of the galaxy and perhaps the Universe. If he was lucky he would get access to star charts from other alien civilizations.</p><p>But he was not banking on that outcome, to be honest. The chances are slim but if he somehow encounters friendly civilizations it would speed things up. He had no designs to stay on earth permanently. He knew that sooner or later his identity would be exposed and he would be treated as an alien. When humans treat each other as aliens there was no point in trying to blend in.</p><p>Instead, he found his unique situation to be a great opportunity. He was offered a chance to build a new civilization in his image. This was a wondrous opportunity and he was not going to waste that by needlessly wasting time on playing the hero.</p><p>
  <em>Then why did you save that security guard and chipped in to capture the car thief?</em>
</p><p>The question came from the deep recess of his mind. The answer was also right at the metaphysical tongue of his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Because that was the right thing to do.</em>
</p><p>George, the security guard was a father of two children and he couldn't let the guy die when he had the power to help it. He had seen the bullet fired from the shooter's gun just as he turned the corner. To his eyes, the bullet was moving at a snail's pace. He didn't want to blow his cover and that was the only reason why he didn't speed along and physically block the bullet. Nonetheless, he did manage to mitigate the impact of the bullet by burning off half the bullet with a concentrated blast of laser from his eyes.</p><p>The bullet did punch into George's abdomen but the guy was spared from any serious injury. This helped In concentrating his attention on Jane who was about to split her skull open on the floor. That he could fully mitigate as he was able to move in with a reasonable speed.</p><p>A scan with his eyes told him that Jane was safe sans a small injury on her arm. This left him free to deal with the shooter whom he was quick to bash headfirst through the car's window. The guy could barely pull the trigger before this happened. By the time the shooter regained his bearings, the local PD had arrived taking him into custody.</p><p>Overnight he became a 'cool guy' among the locals. That day he was hounded by journalists, thankfully he managed to evade the worst of it by immersing himself in work. Most of the time he was on the island looking after the progress made by Optima. With events heating up in Virginia he gathered spending a few days here would keep the heat low.</p><p>Not to mention the time for working with SHIELD was drawing ever closer. The work on his new company was also progressing at an accelerated pace. He has been hunting for talent online by organising a friendly programming contest. He felt like a dark web hacker for recruiting people for his company in this way but this is the easy to find talented people.</p><p>For recruiting he created a website and gave out specific assignments. Those who completed the assignments first would get a cash award along with a job offer. Most of these assignments were trials to complete a specific set of coding. Having access to a surplus amount of money at the expense of the criminal underworld certainly helped to speed up the recruitment process.</p><p>The only part where he was lagging right now was in mastering dimensional energy. Without getting access to the Ancient-one for a considerable amount of time his training was suffering. He planned to take a long vacation when he was done with SHIELD's project but till then he was forced to confine his training to a few hours a week.</p><p>There was no point in overthinking certain matters, he thought with a sigh.</p><p>He stood up from his seat and looked outside through the glass panes of the ship. The island remained untouched to man's depravities and many a species called it home. His eyes could see every creature on the island and he could hear each movement they would make. It was truly a terrible power that he was wielding and he would have gone insane if it wasn't for the shiny necklace on his neck.</p><p>He pulled back his shirt and took in the innocent-looking necklace that was gifted to him by the Ancient-one. He had requested aid from her to regulate the super-senses that were making him lose sleep every night.</p><p>At first, it was easy to rein in his senses but after each passing day, his senses were expanding across the globe. Standing in Virginia he could hear guns firing in the Middle-East. It was at this point that he decided to ask for Ancient-one's help which turned out to be a lifesaver. The necklace blocked his senses whenever he activated which helped him sleep soundly at night. When he was awake he had no problem in controlling his senses so the necklace was not needed during the day.</p><p>He touched the buckle of his belt and his body was now covered in an exosuit made of a thin polymorphic fabric.</p><p>"Optima assign a few drones on the DSS and chart out the data that we collected from the Hubble."</p><p>
  <em>"Yes sir."</em>
</p><p>Nodding to Optima he blasted off into the sky quickly charging up his speed to hypersonic. He had learned that he could hide his movements from any radars or thermal scanners if he surrounded his body with an energy barrier that kept him out of the US defence systems. With this useful ability, he could fly as much as he liked and he would not be exposed to SHIELD who was trying to find his base. Flying was something that he enjoyed out of the power-up he received and he was happy he could now use it without any worries.</p><p>As his destination began to close in he doubled down on his speed and stealthily made his way into a shady alley. The exosuit on his body retracted back into his belt buckle exposing his normal clothes. He carefully travelled through the alley until finally he was back in the street and walked to his apartment as if nothing happened.</p><p>On the way to his apartment, he picked up a cup of hot chocolate. Being an avid chocolate addict this was one of the few concessions that he made to his diet plan. Even as a super-powered alien he was keeping a diet which was insane but keeping a diet had become an integral part of his character.</p><p>Passing through the entrance of the building he felt a strange sense of wrongness when there was no George to greet him. The jovial man was someone that he gets along well and now the man was bedridden in a hospital. He had of course footed the hospital bills as he knew it would be hard on the family. Times were tight and jobs didn't pay as they used to in Virginia. He hoped it would change as people were finding it hard to afford basic necessities.</p><p>As he was about to go for the elevator there was a sign posted outside that it was out of order. Shaking his head he went for the stairs. Even with superpowers, he hated taking the stairs which he admitted to being a psychological problem grown out of habit.</p><p>As he neared his floor he could hear heated shouting from above and the sounds were not of people that he was used to. He boosted his pace but held back using his senses.</p><p>Stepping into the hallway he saw two guys, one Mexican dude and a giant white guy engaged in a shouting match with Jane.</p><p>"Why don't you just say where the guy is sweet pants and I won't have to break that good arm of yours." The giant white guy threatened.</p><p>"How about you fuck off!" Jane growled</p><p>"What is going on?" asked Cerion as he moved closer to the trio as he realised the two men were hostile. Jane was making faces at him but he didn't get the meaning.</p><p>"You mind your business if you know what's good for you dude." The Mexican growled threateningly.</p><p>"Lets just all calm down here alright. Why are you bothering her? Can't you see she is injured?" He tried to placate the guys.</p><p>"Hey, amigo. Isn't he the guy?" the Mexican asked the white guy pointing at Cerion.</p><p>"Is he?" the white guy frowned before taking out a picture and began to compare. "Yeah, this is the guy."</p><p>"Are you Cerion Vex?" asked the Mexican now standing close to Cerion in a threatening manner.</p><p>"I am."</p><p>The guy smiled and threw a punch straight for his abdomen. Cerion caught the offending arm in a firm grip and twisted sharply until a snap was clearly heard in the hallway. A kick to the left knee saw the Mexican cry out and fall on the floor bawling his eyes out. The white guy took out a knife but Cerion had to do nothing as Jane smashed the guy's balls from behind with her legs.</p><p>Cerion couldn't help but flinch as he took in that image vividly into his brain. The white guy fell on the floor with a noisy thud.</p><p>"Nice but a very disturbing image that will be hard to forget." He commented at the kick of the century from Jane.</p><p>"I practised." said Jane as a way of explaining herself with a shrug and a proud smile.</p><p>"Do I want to know on whom you practised?" asked Cerion</p><p>"You wouldn't know." Jane just waved her hands as if it was water under the bridge.</p><p>A painful moan from the large white guy put a stop to their conversation. Cerion slowly walked forward leaving the Mexican crying in pain cradling his broken wrist toward the white guy.</p><p>He placed his right palm on the shoulder of the white guy and began to squeeze. The guy began to whimper as pain started to flare up.</p><p>"I just have a single question. Answer that and you two can be on your merry way with no more injuries. Refuse, you will have a broken arm like your friend over there."</p><p>"I will talk! I will talk. Please don't break my arm." The white guy begged</p><p>"Good. Now, who sent you two clowns and why?" asked Cerion as he let up on the pressure.</p><p>"Lloyd Morrison sent us."</p><p>"Who?" he asked curiously</p><p>"Lloyd Morrison is a dealer. He goes by the name Baker in the streets for cooking up drugs. It was his guy you messed with on the street and he doesn't like it when other people mess with his men."</p><p>"Really? And where can I find this Baker?" asked Cerion</p><p>"I don't know dude."</p><p>Cerion began to increase the pressure of his hold and the guy cried out in pain.</p><p>"I don't know man. I swear! I and my buddy were just given a few bucks to roughen you up. That's all we know man."</p><p>"Hmm…" he stared hard into the wide frightened eyes of the guy and finally decided to let him go.</p><p>"Get the hell out of this building and get that guy's wrist fixed up." He ordered and placed a few dollars in the guy's pocket. "If I see you two again with this same attitude a broken wrist and smashed balls is going to be the least of your worries. Now, scram."</p><p>He watched the two thugs wobble out of the building and felt a little bit bad for the guys. But hey they were being mean and he did give them a few bucks for any medical bills. That was pretty generous of him and he believed that should even out the karmic odds.</p><p>"That was quite hectic but I loved it." Said Jane with an excitable grin.</p><p>"You have been cooped up in that apartment of yours for too long." He said with a shake of his head.</p><p>"You try spending twenty-four hours by yourself with a broken dominant arm. The only good speck of light in my dark days were a documentary about Captain America and a book on Black Holes." said Jane</p><p>"Yep, you need some fresh air. How about a walk?" he offered and the way Jane's face lit up was enough of an answer.</p><p>"Alright, but don't think you can weasel out of that bet we made." said Jane as she closed the door behind her.</p><p>"Hoped you would have forgotten about that but a bet is a bet. Except to be dazzled by my amazing cooking in two days Miss Foster."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Exposure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So, two random thugs just wandered into our guy's apartment!" Fury scoffed. "Should I be worried that our agents are losing their edge Coulson?" asked Fury staring down at his most trusted agent in SHIELD.</p><p>"Our men did inform me, sir. I was the one that ordered them to let the events play out." said Coulson not too bothered to be under his superior's scrutiny.</p><p>"I see." Fury stared a little longer before he turned his gaze to the monitor where the details of the Baker and his gang was on full display. "And how did Vex react?"</p><p>"He smacked them down quite easily and broke the wrist of one Mr Santiago Cruz. Other than that our guy was restrained."</p><p>"Hmm… You plan to let the Baker know that his goons didn't work don't you?" asked Fury as he leaned back in his seat looking expectantly at Coulson.</p><p>"Only with your permission sir. As you know this will be risky and there is a certain room for error."</p><p>Fury sighed and looked at the screen once more. The more he read about this Baker aka Samuel Jones the more he was apprehensive of what was about to happen. The guy was a textbook psychopath and there was no telling how the situation may evolve. Not to mention the guy had some dealings with the Irish gang based out of Hell's Kitchen and some shady organizations.</p><p>He prefers to keep the existence of aliens from the public for as long as he could. There was already enough problems on his plate and he didn't fancy adding alien obsessed hippies into the mix. At the same time, he was curious how Vex would behave in certain situations. There was only so much he could learn with psych profiles. The true measure of a man can be known only on certain occasions when emotions are high. While Vex was an alien he looked remarkably similar to a human and thus he was curious to know what makes the guy tick.</p><p>"Bring me a plan that would involve the least amount of public exposure." He found himself say in the end. "If we are going with this plan I need to know we can control the narrative if something leaks to the public."</p><p>"Will do sir." Coulson nodded.</p><p>"Coulson."</p><p>"Yes sir."</p><p>"I don't have to tell you that this is a dangerous game. Keep our hands clean in this matter. No digital communication is to be established with this Baker or any of his subordinates." warned Fury</p><p>"We will keep everything analogue sir."</p><p>"Good. You may go."</p><p>Fury watched Coulson leave before letting out a sigh. There was enormous pressure on SHIELD right now from the WSC. The existence of alien civilizations was no news to the agency but an alien with the strengths exhibited by Vex was unheard of for SHIELD. He of course has explained that Carol Danvers had similar strengths like Vex to the WSC members.</p><p>Unfortunately, the WSC was not satisfied with his answer. They wanted a magic bullet against Vex in case the guy turns hostile which was easier said than done. SHIELD had little intel of any on Vex's abilities. The lack of any generic data was also a serious impediment in studying the Kryptonian race. There were serious implications that Vex is an immortal. The SHIELD scientists were baffled by the lack of a single cell in Vex's personal belongings. The present theory was that Kryptonian biology was different and any dead cells would self destruct rather than linger in the environment. If this hypothesis was untrue then the only plausible explanation would be that Vex is immortal.</p><p>This complete lack of knowledge about the Kryptonian race was concerning for many analysts and WSC. With Vex refusing to share any further details about his people because of the recent falling out with SHIELD, the WSC was not happy. This was why he was now ordered to focus on Super Soldier Serum more than ever.</p><p>Fury knew that his predecessors have tried and failed in cooking up a serum on the level of Abraham Erskine's serum that delivered the perfect super soldier in Captain America. Many attempts were made and most ended up in abject failure. The one that neared perfection was with Howard Stark but that was lost and records indicated that the Russians were involved.</p><p>Losing Howard Stark was a blow that had set back SHIELD and the man was one of the greatest casualties in the Cold War. Another was the Wasp aka Janet Van Dyne who gave her life and saved the world from a nuclear apocalypse. Like the two many had died for the sake of a safer world. Even after the fall of the USSR the location of the serum remained a mystery. The random appearances of the Winter Soldier were proof that the serum worked. The only problem was that they had no clear evidence whether the serum was used on the Winter Soldier. It was possible that the Winter Soldier is just an extremely good Soviet operative.</p><p>With the possibility of the serum working and the presence of a super-powered alien on the planet, the higher-ups were keen on recreating the serum.</p><p>Already, a project was underway in Culver under the oversight of General Ross. He was not keen on developing the serum but if it succeeds he would not be terribly unhappy. For the time being, he was keeping an eye on the project from a distance. This would let him react objectively. Not to mention he would be able to keep other parties from interfering with the project. If the project succeeds SHIELD would surely benefit as they had a stake in the project even if Ross believes otherwise.</p><hr/><p>"What is dimensional energy?"</p><p>Cerion was before the Ancient One sitting cross-legged at the beach while a few miles north his ship was getting repairs done. The scent of the sea and the warm climate was soothing for training what he considered to be spiritual arts or is it magical arts. He didn't know what the exact terms were his teacher was not so keen on using specific terms either.</p><p>"A good question but one with no definite answer. The source of all energy can be traced back to the creation of the universe. A cataclysmic event that unleashed chaos on a scale unimaginable for any single being to comprehend. As such the basis of dimensional energy is creation itself." explained the Ancient One as she drew dimensional energy and began to form solid constructs by simple gestures of her hands.</p><p>"But was it just merely creation? If creation is the origin of all the dimensional energy then what is the source of creation?" asked Cerion even as he stared in wonder as the Ancient One began to project images of a chaotic universe.</p><p>"Death is the prime mover of all things living Mr Vex. Death is the catalyst that created what you see here in the present. What we call the dimensional energy is something that is derived from the death of what was once before the present existence."</p><p>"That doesn't make any sense." He complained</p><p>"The nature of existence is such it follows only one rule, cycles of time. Anything and everything can only be measured in time. Time is the yardstick for life. The present universe that we occupy is merely birthed because of the death of the previous one. In time this will die to give birth to another. When that happens matter will convert to energy and energy will convert to matter." said the Ancient One.</p><p>"This feels like spiritual bullshit." He commented in a deadpan manner.</p><p>"Truth can be spiritual because both works to remove the veil we have on our senses. Both are intended to remove ignorance and enshrine wisdom in our minds." said Ancient One with a serene smile.</p><p>Cerion had the feeling that she was just messing with him but she is very proficient in masking her true feelings behind a calm exterior. So he could never know whether she was lying or telling the truth. Even her heartbeat was perfectly steady throughout the conversation.</p><p>"Let's leave it at that and concentrate on the energy aspect. If am absorbing dimensional energy as you do then why can't I perform spells as you do. I have tried to perform some spells that you taught me but at some point, I hit my limit in stabilizing the constructs."</p><p>"Hmm…" Ancient One hummed in thought before she reached out and took both his hands into her own. "Channel your energy into my body."</p><p>He blinked in surprise at the request. "Say what?"</p><p>"Channel your energy through your arms. I will do the rest." Ancient one explained and looked at him expectantly.</p><p>Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and he willed what he identified as a gentle warm feeling within himself. He could feel a gentle warmth spread across his heart and flowing through his limbs. He was careful to keep the flow of energy contained as best as he could. It was like trying to hold back the sea with a fishnet. No matter what the sea would easily slip in and the same is true for the well of energy inside his body.</p><p>He opened his eyes and saw with his own eyes that a silver aura was disappearing into the Ancient One. For a time he continued to channel this power into his teacher who broke the connection at some point and went into a trance. Once again he suspected this was part of theatricality that she regularly engaged for some reason.</p><p>"I think I have a better understanding of what is happening to the dimensional energy you are absorbing Mr Vex." She finally said as she came out of her trance.</p><p>"Truly! So what is the verdict?" he asked eagerly.</p><p>"Patience Mr Vex. Universal energies ought to be treated with due respect and discipline."</p><p>Having said that the Ancient One stood up and he closely followed.</p><p>"I will mull over this energy and meet with you next Sunday. Till then continue the training methods that I taught you to regulate the flow of your energy." She then created a portal with her sling ring and stepped into it giving a hasty goodbye leaving Cerion annoyed for some reason.</p><p>To blow off some steam he decided to fly a few rounds around the island and then return to the US. He was just about to fly right next to his apartment but then he remembered that he had some shopping to do. So he quickly changed tracks and carefully landed in a secluded corner near a grocery store. It took him half an hour to buy all the essentials and he was on his way to his apartment on foot.</p><p>He liked talking walks as it gave him access to street vendors. He found a good one that served Lemon Blueberry Sweet Rolls which was his favourite in another life. Just as he was tucking in his new purchase and eying some other vendors he heard gunshots.</p><p>People began to scream and run away panicked thinking it was some looney nut who was taking to the street to have some fun with the latest semi-automatic available in the market. He touched the necklace on his neck and released the enchantment that blocked out his senses. It was a little difficult to filter out the sounds coming from the street but his eyes found the culprits.</p><p>To his surprise, it was a gang of thugs wielding a bunch of semi-automatics and firing randomly into the street. A local PD mobile unit was close by but the thugs fired a grenade into the Police car follower by suppression fire. He took shelter behind a shop and just kept track of the gun-wielding maniacs with his X-ray vision. He noticed these thugs were well-coordinated and they were even careful to take out any cameras in the street.</p><p>He winced as the police vehicle just exploded and the sound just roared in his ears. He found the two cops injured near the car and one had his leg blown off cleanly from his knees. The other had shrapnel stuck in his body but the guy would survive for sure. The thugs now started to fire into the buildings and he could hear cries of children as some were getting hit.</p><p>He forced down the urge to involve himself but it was a tough one. He was just getting a sensory overload of people crying desperately for help. He closed his eyes and began to reel in his senses one by one. Despite what was happening he could not afford to openly declare himself.</p><p>"Hey, boss. We found the guy."</p><p>Cerion opened his eyes and he was met with a curious sight. There was a guy in a mask pointing a gun at him and calling for his buddies. And everything began to click in his mind. The random shootings, needless terror and blindly rolling over everyone was not just a random act of terror. These guys were here for him and not for anything else.</p><p>He took in the carnage that was around him and he felt angry. He let go of his senses and allowed them to expand. He discretely touched his belt buckle and he felt the tactical suit encompass his body. A half-mask formed on his face ensuring that his identity would remain secure.</p><p>The air around him vibrated as he exerted a considerable dose of power through his body and then he moved. Time stood still for those who moved on a slower pace and for Cerion it was as if he was surrounded by sloths. He was right before his would-be assailant and threw him headfirst into a car that was parked on the street. One by one he began to take down the assailants breaking their spines, collar bones and every bit of bones in their body so that they would never walk in their lives even with the best treatment available on Earth. His eyes heated up as he saw the blood and gore on the streets and he fired off a stream of concentrated laser blasts that tore through the vehicle of the thugs.</p><p>All of this happened before anyone could blink and he blasted off into the sky spearing through the air straight for his apartment. He urged himself to go faster and broke through the window of Jane's apartment and stood protectively before her who was on the gunpoint of another thug. He saw the bullet move slowly out of the gun and he waited patiently until it struck his forehead. The inevitable result was that the bullet flattened itself on his skin and fell on the floor.</p><p>The thug who fired the bullet just looked on completely confused and stared dumbly at what transpired.</p><p>"I believe you must be the Baker?" Cerion asked but he received no answer from the thug except for a flustered look. That was fine with him. He was not here to make conversation with the guy. "I am afraid you will not be baking anything in your life."</p><p>Now, he could see a healthy dose of fear and rage in the guy's eyes. He caught the guy's wrist in a tight grip and sharply turned it and punched straight at the Baker's elbow. There was a sickening crack followed by a painful howl but he was not done yet. He turned the guy around and a sharp jab with his fist saw to it that Baker's spine fractured beyond healing. For good measure, he kicked the guy out of Jane's apartment breaking a few ribs in the process and closed the door.</p><p>"You! What? How? What happened?"</p><p>Now it was time to face a confused, angry, fearful and stressed woman. Isn't his life great?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Winning the bet and more!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The universe held many mysteries. Those who study the nature of the Universe are faced with many questions. What is the basis of matter? What is the source of energy? Can something be born out of nothing? How did the first molecules form? Can it be the intense heat and gravitational pull of stars the source of life? Could it be that dark matter is the source of creation? If so then what created dark matter? Is there a purpose to human existence or are we just a spoke on the great wheel of Evolution?</p><p>These are questions that haunt a genuine scientist committed to the path of seeking knowledge. The thirst to know the truth of the nature of the universe has been the cause of the scientific community across all civilizations that rose and fell on the world. Jane was no different.</p><p>Her passion for science was ignited when she learned about the stars in school. From then on outer space has always been of interest to her. She would read dozens of books and journals to sate her thirst to know, to learn all the intricacies of space and the mysteries it held. The fundamental quality of a competent scientist should be the ability to keep an open mind. This she learned from her father who was a renowned astrophysicist.</p><p>No matter how inane something should sound she believed it should be given due consideration. Assumptions based on preconceived notions is not a good trait for a scientist or science in general. No matter how crazy an idea may sound the idea has to be studied and put under the scrutiny of the intellect. Because science dealt with facts based on evidence. Feelings and faith have no purpose in her chose profession. Jane had ingrained this standard into her thought process from an early age.</p><p>It was for this reason alone that she remained composed despite being exposed to one of the greatest discoveries in human history. The confirmation that there was alien life thriving outside of planet Earth is a stunning discovery. Sure some statistics concluded the chances of Earth being the lone life-supporting planet in the cosmos to be unlikely. But statistics was one thing and true hard evidence was another.</p><p>The fact that she maintained her composure despite finding out that her neighbour is an alien from outer space was a testament to her disciplined mind. Although, that discipline was wearing thin as was her patience.</p><p>She was now in a quandary as a bundle of emotions were pulling her mind at the seams. There was a gnawing fear budding in her mind but that was being eclipsed by the boundless curiosity and thirst for knowledge. Not to mention the shock and awe she felt when thinking that she had been living so close to one of the greatest discoveries in human history.</p><p>Her mind was filled with questions upon questions. She wanted to know so much about the wider space and the civilization of Cerion. The fact that Cerion looked so much like humans also interested her from a scientific perspective. There was no way in hell that he has human physiology. The fact that he could move faster than human sensory organs could perceive already let her know that Cerion only looked human. Then there was the most important question of all that was burning in the back of her mind. Why Earth? Why did Cerion come here? A question that is born out of fear generated from her mind. She realised that it was her survival instincts. It was the same fear she would have felt if she was in a room with a lion or a tiger.</p><p>But rather than asking these questions, she was just sitting on a chair in her kitchen watching an alien cook food for her. The bizarre situation she found herself in made her reclusive and a part of her mind smothered the questions blossoming within her mind.</p><p>The sound of oil getting heated startled her and pulled her out of her thoughts to the present time. Her hand remained in a sling and more than anything she wished her hand was free of any injury right now. Not that she had any notion that her hand would be helpful. It just felt like she was unsafe with an alien in her house which she thought irrational. If Cerion wanted to do something to her he would have done so by now. She blamed all those conspiracy theories and shoddy alien invasion movies for the fear she was having right now. Then there was the simple fact that she was breathing right now because Cerion saved her from a bullet to the head. If anything she should have felt more fear to her fellow human beings rather than an alien.</p><p>"Hey, don't just laze off in that chair and help me." said Cerion once again pulling her out of her thoughts.</p><p>"Oh, sorry. What do you need?" she asked as she jumped from her seat a little too quickly. If Cerion noticed her nervousness he certainly didn't comment on it and merely asked for pepper.</p><p>Jane found the powdered pepper from a nearby draw and hesitantly placed it near Cerion who was chopping an onion into fine granules. She got the urge to return to her chair and keep a healthy distance from Cerion but she kicked down that urge.</p><p>Jane flinched slightly when Cerion dumped the onion, pepper powder, salt and garlic into the frying pan. This was followed by adding pork chops smothered in flour, some tomato slices, and a few sliced green chillies. A few minutes into the cooking she forgot all about the alien matter and was wooed by the heavenly smell filling her apartment.</p><p>Ten minutes later Cerion turned off the flame and their dinner was ready to be served. As Jane put a small slice of the pork into her tongue her mouth flooded with taste.</p><p>"You do cook well." she hummed and began eagerly taking in the chops a slice at a time with her fork. In her enthusiasm, she let her hand out of her sling and thankfully she was feeling better.</p><p>"What? You thought I ate raw meat or something?" he asked jokingly but it gave her pause. The thought did cross her mind after she learned about his alien origin which was embarrassing.</p><p>"I am surprised you are not denying it." said Cerion but she was relieved to note that he was amused rather than offended.</p><p>"I blame all the hostile alien theme in the movies and books." she mumbled as she continued to eat the food on her plate with heat flooding on her cheeks.</p><p>"Truly? I expected you to hound me with questions instead of keeping it all in." he commented and something in her mind just broke. Perhaps it was the insinuation that she was weak and therefore afraid to ask questions but whatever it was she asked the first question that was in her mind.</p><p>"Where do you come from?"</p><p>The second the question was out of her mouth she felt a huge relief as if a weight was lifted off her shoulder.</p><p>"I am from planet Krypton of the Rao System in an unidentified sector of space by human standards far away from this galaxy."</p><p>She was unfamiliar with the names but that was expected seeing as these are alien names. But then she picked up on the fact that Cerion has been speaking fluently in English ever since she knew him. The names of his planet and the star system also sounded English which doesn't mean that the language should be English but there were similarities.</p><p>"Why did you come here? And for that matter how long have you been on Earth?" she asked eagerly now that some fear in her heart abated.</p><p>"It was not my intention to arrive at this planet. My ship malfunctioned and I was stranded on your planet. I believe it has been three months since I landed on planet Earth."</p><p>Now that surprised her. She thought he was living on Earth far longer than just three months. Either Cerion was lying for some reason or he was intimately aware of Earth as she doubted he could blend in so easily in just three months.</p><p>"Only three months! You speak English so fluently and you behave like a human in all the time I knew you."</p><p>"Your language is somewhat similar to my native language. Although, I don't know why you would think other civilizations are different from your own. Most civilizations in the universe are not that different from human society."</p><p>"There are more aliens!?" she asked in awe.</p><p>"Sure. It Is a big universe and there is bound to be life flourishing in distant star systems." he said with a shrug as if that was normal. To him, that should be normal but for her, that was anything but normal.</p><p>"But…but…we have never encountered alien life except you." she said already chastising herself for not thinking of the possibility that multiple civilizations may be out there.</p><p>"Hmm…. Could it be that you have not met an alien species because your government keep any discovery a secret?" Cerion smirked towards her and she blinked confusedly for a moment before it clicked.</p><p>"Oh! That's… That's actually possible." She frowned in thought. "Is that true?"</p><p>"You are asking me?" Cerion looked amused.</p><p>She blushed at how that came off. Of course, why would he know what her government was covering up? "Ah, sorry."</p><p>"From my experience with your government agencies it is almost certain they are covering up…" Cerion tallied off as a knock on the door interrupted their conversation.</p><p>"Who could that be?" she muttered</p><p>"Don't worry. It seems your Federal government is here." said Cerion which stumped her.</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"You will see." was the calm reply from Cerion.</p><p>Jane opened the door to see a man in a black suit with a pleasant smile on his face.</p><p>"Agent Coulson." He introduced himself and flashed his badge.</p><p>"Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. Never heard of it before." said Jane with a frown.</p><p>"Now you do. May I come in? I am afraid I would like to discuss some matters with Mr Vex and yourself."</p><p>"Umm…please come in." she let the agent into her apartment.</p><p>A few minutes later she was sitting beside Cerion on the couch reading a file on the gang that attacked her and the people of Booker Street. Never mind the fact that a government agency she had never heard of was involved in keeping Cerion here on Earth.</p><p>"A few major spine injuries and some broken legs and ribs are the common injuries. Some of them won't walk if ever and some will walk funny if they get the proper treatment. So far no one has died in stark contrast to the victims of this gang." said Agent Coulson with a neutral expression. "You did a number on them."</p><p>"They deserved it. I mean…just look at the lives lost. These thugs fired at children….children!" Jane scowled</p><p>"You won't hear any complaints from me, Miss Foster. From questioning the members of the gang they say they retaliated for beating up two of their members." said Coulson looking at Cerion.</p><p>"But he did that to defend me." Jane defended her alien friend.</p><p>"Either way the cat is out of the bag and a lot of people got caught up in the crossfire. From now on please do keep us in the loop Mr Vex." said Agent Coulson.</p><p>Jane noticed a strange look pass through Cerion's face but he just nodded in agreement.</p><p>"Good." Coulson nodded appreciatively before turning on her. "Now, Miss Foster I don't have to tell you that the nature of information you stumbled into accidentally is not public knowledge. We would appreciate it if this stayed that way. The last thing we need is mass hysteria on the streets. Can we expect your discretion and cooperation?"</p><p>"Uh, yeah. I guess so." she nodded distractedly.</p><p>"Good. In that case, I shall take my leave." said Coulson as he stood up from his seat and walked towards the door but paused halfway. "Oh, I almost forgot. We are taking care of the drug cartel of Mr Baker. You won't hear from them again and we have managed to keep what truly happened in the shadows. As far as the public knows the Law enforcement officers took care of the gang."</p><p>"Thanks, I guess." she said hesitantly seeing as Cerion remained silent.</p><p>"We will keep in touch. Have a good evening Miss Foster, Mr Vex." said Coulson before he disappeared into the corridor after closing the door.</p><p>Jane went back to reading the file that was still in her hands. Just reading through the report gave her chills about this gang. The victims and their families of this gang violence are certainly going to be traumatised for a long time from what she read. Consequently, she felt a whole lot of appreciation for surviving the attack on herself without a scratch.</p><p>She looked at Cerion sitting beside her who was deep in thought. If it wasn't for Cerion she would have most likely been dead or worse.</p><p>"Thank you for saving me and all those people." Jane smiled and squeezed his hand in appreciation.</p><p>"I think my presence may have just endangered more lives than it would have otherwise." said Cerion with a frown.</p><p>"Don't be like that. Without you, I most certainly would have died. Even if you were not here what makes you think that this gang would not have harmed anyone?"</p><p>"I guess you are right in a way."</p><p>"In a way! I am always right." she said with faux indignation. She noticed a small grin on Cerion's face and she smiled to herself. She had noticed that her friend rarely smiled and now she knew the reason. He must have been feeling homesick all this time.</p><p>"Well, either way, I believe I am the victor of that bet right? You owe me a tour of your campus." Cerion shifted the topic.</p><p>"Hmm… I guess so. But don't you think that reward was not that great for what you did?" she asked playfully even as she felt her heart thunder in her body.</p><p>"What do youu….?"</p><p>It was at this point she kissed him. For a moment she thought she made a mistake but before she could pull back she felt Cerion kiss back. She had her hands wrapped around his neck and immersed in the kiss. When they came apart she was breathing heavily and found herself sitting on his lap.</p><p>"That was…." Cerion trailed off looking thoroughly out of his comfort zone.</p><p>"Long overdue." She finished for him. She had a feeling she would have to pull him out of his shell on this one.</p><p>"Umm…Jane. Is this okay?" Cerion asked his mind in flux after the kiss.</p><p>She answered that by taking off her top and pulling him into a kiss once more only for the pain to flare up on her arm but she paid it no mind.</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. The morning after...</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There is a point between joy and ecstasy. A point where the mind and body just fill with contentment which would make one neutral to the rest of the world. Jane had never felt this feeling of content. Just not wanting to do anything was not in her nature. There was always something she wanted to do but at the present, she felt that contentment. The feeling of not needing anything and just lay back on her bed doing nothing without a care to the rest of the world.</p><p>The irony was that she came to this feeling after a night of doing a whole lot of other activities. And she had the alien who she was treating as her personal pillow to thank for that. Without moving her head she looked around a little bit and was relieved that darkness had yet to go away. Which means that she still had some time before sunrise. Not that she was going anywhere as she was supposed to stay in her apartment because of her injury.</p><p>Her bedfellow on the other hand does not have the luxury to take a day off. Now, that made her think about what exactly Cerion was working on with the government. She frowned but knocked that thought away and pressed her body further into Cerion. She didn't know how long she laid there in her bed with her head resting on Cerion's heart. The steady heartbeat most likely lulled her to sleep but she woke up when a pair of fingers glided through her locks of hair. It was soothing and almost therapeutic and she let out a groan of satisfaction at the ministration.</p><p>"Jane are you awake?" she heard Cerion ask. She didn't bother to respond but merely snuggle further into Cerion's chest basking in the warmth she felt.</p><p>"Jane it is morning. It is time to get up." said Cerion this time slightly shaking her.</p><p>"Five more minutes." she groaned out.</p><p>"I don't think that's a good idea Jane." said Cerion which disturbed her peaceful sleep and her plans for using Cerion as a pillow.</p><p>"What is the hurry? Did you forget today is Sunday?" she mumbled</p><p>"I know but I have to do something urgently." Version insisted and she could hear a hint of panic in his voice.</p><p>"Do what?" she asked as she dragged her head up with a considerable effort to look properly into his eyes which she found to hold needless alarm in them.</p><p>"I've got to burn your bed and the sheets."</p><p>Jane blinked confusedly at Cerion. "Come again?"</p><p>"I've got to burn the sheets, your bed and we need to clean this whole apartment."</p><p>Now she was sure she was not dreaming as she was now faced with a hysterical Cerion which was a first.</p><p>"What do you mean?"</p><p>She didn't get much of an answer except a panicked look from Cerion.</p><p>A few minutes later she stood witness as Cerion packed up her sheets into a plastic bag. Her bed was folded up and carefully tucked under Cerion's arm. She watched all of this with a disapproving frown as she sat on her couch wearing only a t-shirt.</p><p>"Be right back." said Cerion and then he blasted off into the sky from her open window. She had no idea where he went but this is the most bizarre experience she ever had with another guy.</p><p>If anything she should have been the one to panic. Till yesterday she had no idea alien civilizations existed. Now, she slept with an alien and somehow she was not the one panicking.</p><p>A rustle of wind blew her hair all over the place and before her stood Cerion with a relieved look. She watched him with a frown as he opened her refrigerator and began gulping down water from a bottle.</p><p>"What was that?" Jane asked with folded hands.</p><p>"Sorry. I had to ensure nothing remained of our early night activities." He said uncomfortably.</p><p>"Huh...what do you…? Oh!"</p><p>Now she understood why Cerion was behaving as if the Russians were after him.</p><p>"Aren't you being a bit overly paranoid?" she asked tentatively.</p><p>"There is no such thing as overly paranoid Jane."</p><p>"But the government – this SHIELD won't just go through my room, right? Right?"</p><p>Cerion merely gave her nod and she gulped nervously now feeling seriously worried about her privacy.</p><p>"Well, they shouldn't be doing that." she said indignantly.</p><p>"I am sure they have their reasons. I am an unknown alien entity and it would be remiss of them to not use every trick in the book to acquire an advantage over me."</p><p>"Are you defending them now?" she asked with a frown.</p><p>"No. Merely making an observation. You should get some rest and rest your arm a bit."</p><p>Jane blinked and looked down at her supposedly broken arm. Strangely she could not feel an iota of pain or discomfort from her injured arm.</p><p>"Actually, my arm has never felt better." She said before taking some experimental swings. "Huh, how about that!"</p><hr/><p>Cerion let out a tired sigh as he sat back in his seat tired of looking through piles of data he pulled from the Hubble and the star charts he currently possessed in his ship. The stark difference in technology made the data that he mined from earthly instruments almost useless. It would require a whole lot of different algorithms to weed out the data he mined.</p><p>Nonetheless, the data that he pulled would accelerate his plans in finding out a distant planet where he could set up his new home. The only saving grace in this situation was that he had the drones working for him and by the end of next month he would be able to launch a scout ship.</p><p>He was fortunate that he had ended up taking an exploratory vessel from Krypton. It housed four scout ships and a myriad of technology. Without all of this, he would have surely struggled. The only thing he lacked is a Genisis chamber and a World Engine. But he did have the specs secured in the memory banks of the ship.</p><p>
  <em>"Sir, I have a query."</em>
</p><p>Cerion faced the main drone that Optima preferred as a medium of communication.</p><p>"Ask away Optima."</p><p>
  <em>"Why are you seeking out another planet? The plan was to settle on Earth was it not?"</em>
</p><p>That is a genuine query from Optima. Before he executed his plans to escape he had planned to stay on Earth and even look after Kal El. It was the least he could do for Joer El who took him under his wing and indirectly helped him escape Krypton. But Kal El is not here and he certainly had no obligation to stay on Earth.</p><p>Sure he had some lingering feeling for his former home but that same attachment was also there for Krypton. He felt that he was doing a disservice to all those who perished in Krypton if he did not build a new Krypton.</p><p>In this new Krypton, he would build a better civilization. One that would be perfect and not the imperfect failed state of old Krypton. But this was not the only reason he was seeking out a new home far away from humanity.</p><p>There was just no way that humanity would be comfortable in sharing their planet with an alien entity. Especially one that is powerful enough to wipe out their entire species in a matter of weeks. He could already see that there would only be conflicts in the future if he decided to stay and integrate into human society.</p><p>'Even if I don't turn against humanity there is a chance that one of my descendants will and no matter the cause the end result will be disastrous.' He thought grimly.</p><p>He knew he was just wildly speculating but there was a chance that he could be right. He couldn't help but imagine what a catastrophe might that be. His descendants may not have the same temperament that he has and with the stunts that humanity would pull on them…</p><p>He shook his head at the thought and sighed. The latest incident with the Baker and his gang came to his mind.</p><p>He did not for a moment believe Coulson's act of total ignorance in this matter. He suspected SHIELD played some role in this scuffle with this Baker fellow. However, it was possible that HYDRA may have acted without SHIELD's knowledge to spice things up. He didn't care either way.</p><p>HYDRA, SHIELD or whatever they name themselves, they all belong to humanity. And if he knows about anything it was that humanity discriminated against anything that was different. They even find differences amongst themselves. He was tired of living with all these differences and he had no interest in getting tangled in their games. Fury and his colourful friends in tights could go hang himself for all he cared. If they gave human life so little value then there was no point in creating an amicable relationship with the leaders of humanity.</p><p>"I have found humanity to be hostile to coexist. It will prove to be a disaster if I decide to stay on Earth. Besides, I don't think it will be healthy for any of my descendants to live on this planet. The human society is extremely greedy and I see their society is rotting from within." He answered Optima.</p><p>Despite all this, he realized the merit of staying on Earth for the moment. If he wanted to recreate a new Krypton he needs to fill this new planet with life. He can't just clone his species and expect nature to accept his judgment. That would be unnatural and Krypton's destruction is proof of the danger inherent in a cloned civilization. Not to mention the warning Ancient One delivered was also in his mind. The new Kryptonians must be different from him for their own sake.</p><p>Life must be unbound and free to flourish. Most of its excess can be trimmed through building a compassionate society. Krypton's failure came from its lack of compassion and hence it devalued life. Krypton saw life as a means to an end. It coveted knowledge and tried to bring order to something that has always happened through natural selection. Krypton failed to take this into account that nature is the arbitrary judge of life and life should happen with minimal interference.</p><p>
  <em>"Shall I initiate Project Genesis sir?" asked Optima</em>
</p><p>Cerion looked away from Optima to the sample of genetic material he extracted from Jane's bed along with a whole lot of other samples he collected. While he surely did rush away to destroy any traces of their copulation he thought better of it. So now those very samples he meant to destroy would help him learn of the possibility of creating a human – Kryptonian hybrid.</p><p>If such a union is possible he could create hundreds of thousands of hybrid Kryptonians without the harmful effects of Kryptonian cloning. With a wide variety of DNA available from the human species, he could recalibrate the cloning technology to eradicate the degradation inherent in Kryptonian cloning. This was already a given as he had no access to the Codex. The only Kryptonian DNA he has is his own DNA and that would be the base of a new Krypton.</p><p>But first, he needed to know whether the human and Kryptonian gene would be compatible. The MCU humans were a different breed than regular humans or the DCU humans. He would find out more about the human genome in the future when he could study a variety of samples.</p><p>But one thing was for sure. It was almost impossible to safely procreate with a human female. He had to exert a tremendous amount of self-restraint last night so as not to crush Jane by accident. Tough days were ahead of him and he had so far made progress steadily. But soon that would change as he was going to extract the resources that he would need from Earth and build a new future for Krypton. A new civilization that would be detached from the failures of the past will be born under his guidance.</p><p>"Initiate Project Genesis."</p>
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